Lungbarrow
by StormWolf10
Summary: A series revolving around the duplicate Doctor- Doctor Jonathan Theta Lungbarrow- and Rose as they journey into somewhat domestic life.
1. First Introductions

**A/N: So, this has been whirling round my mind for quite a while now, and I decided to put it up as a series of oneshots that may/may not continue on from each other. I may eventually write it into a series, but who knows?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any obvious characters; alas, they belong to the BBC. However, if you check out my deviant art page (.com/) you will find several wallpapers/posters I made advertising the series :)**

Lungbarrow: First Introductions

"Rose, darling, I'm sorry but I need to borrow your phone to call your father." Jackie told her daughter apologetically.

Rose, still slightly shocked, simply nodded and pulled her iPhone from the pocket of her leather jacket, handing it to her mother.

"Rose?" Jackie asked softly, gently nudging her daughter's shoulder as she took the mobile.

Rose blinked rapidly, before turning to her mum and smiling at the man behind the pair of them.

"Yeah, everything's fine." Rose replied.

The clone Doctor grinned back.

**~StormWolf10~**

Rose and the Doctor sat cuddled up in the uncomfortable metal chairs at the Zeppelin port as Jackie paced up and down the plush carpet.

"Mum, sit down! You're gonna wear a hole in the carpet!" Rose exclaimed, grinning.

"Well, you've certainly changed your tune since we left the bay!" her mother replied as she took a seat, smirking.

Both Rose and the Doctor blushed.

"So, Jackie," the Doctor announced, plastering on his trademark grin in an attempt to distract her "when will Pete be arriving?"

"Oh, Pete won't be coming. He has to look after Tony; he's a right little handful- you two will get along like a house on fire!" Jackie announced.

"Yeah, you both have the mental age of a three year old, but at least Tony _is_ three!" Rose added playfully.

The Doctor merely rolled his eyes and smirked.

**~StormWolf10~**

Out of instinct, the Doctor grabbed Rose's hand as their Zeppelin docked and they prepared to board. Of course, Pete had sent over a private Zeppelin; being Vitex millionaire and Torchwood Director, he had more than enough money to pick his family up from the far-flung reaches of Norway. However, that did mean that the Zeppelin was staffed by Torchwood guards and the Doctor had no idea how to react. Jackie, on the other hand, didn't seem at all fazed as she hurried up the steps and into the Zeppelin, greeting various members of staff on the way, all of whom replied with a stiff "Good to see you, Mrs Tyler" and a tight smile. As Rose tugged the Doctor up the steps, he glanced warily at the staff. All of whom were dressed in smart black suits and stood like soldiers. As they reached the door, a tall sandy haired man of roughly Rose's age stepped out to greet them.

"It's good to see you again, Arthur," Rose greeted, smiling warmly.

"And you, Miss Tyler," Arthur replied, pushing his dark-rimmed glasses back up his nose.

"How many times, Arthur, call me Rose! You know me well enough not to bother with all the formal stuff!" Rose scolded light-heartedly.

Arthur smiled and nodded.

"Indeed Rose," he conceded "and who is your friend?"

"Ah, Arthur, this is my friend the Doctor." Rose announced, gesturing at the Doctor with her free hand while she swung their still-joined hands between their bodies.

"Oh, right? Doctor who?" Arthur asked.

Rose opened her mouth, but before she could speak, the Doctor spoke up first.

"Lungbarrow. Doctor Jonathan Theta Lungbarrow." The Doctor announced, grinning.

"Well, good to meet you, Jonathan. So, you're the doctor Rose always kept on about, eh? I hope you're gonna stick by her." Arthur replied seriously.

"Arthur!" Rose laughed, shocked.

"Oh, I will, Arthur. I will." The Doctor replied solemnly.

Then, with a grin, he tugged Rose onto the Zeppelin.

**A/N 2: Can anyone guess who 'Arthur' is? (hint: he's based on an awesome real-life Who actor)**


	2. Meeting Tony Tyler

**A/N: ok, chapter two now up! I love writing Tony, he's awesome! Also, check out my deviantart for **_**Lungbarrow**_** posters (StormWolfRoranicus deviantart)**

Lungbarrow: Meeting Tony Tyler

2nd in the _Lungbarrow_ series

The Doctor gazed out of the car window, his hands shaking nervously. Suddenly, a smaller hand came to rest over his, stilling his movements. The Doctor glanced at the hand, before lifting his head and smiling slightly at Rose.

"There's no need to be so nervous!" Rose chided him quietly.

The Doctor glanced at Jackie, who was sat in the front of the BMW, chatting animatedly to the chauffer.

"I can't help it!" the Doctor whispered back "I have to meet your family!"

Rose stifled a laugh at that.

"Doctor, you've known my mum for years, and you've met two different versions of my dad, both loved you. You have nothing to worry about." Rose pointed out.

"There is someone I've not met..." the Doctor muttered, turning to look back out the window.

Rose frowned for a few moments, noticing idly as the car pulled up the gravel drive of the Tyler Mansion. Then, as she spotted her Dad and little brother outside waiting for them, she realised.

"You're worried about meeting my little brother, aren't you?" Rose realised, shocked.

The Doctor nodded shamefully.

"Why?" Rose asked, genuinely perplexed.

"Because, for the past three years since he's been born, he's had this fantastic big sister who, I'm sure, has played with him, cared for him, told him bedtime stories and spoilt him rotten- and don't deny it; your mother told me everything on the Zeppelin- and now I'm taking you away from him." The Doctor explained.

**~StormWolf10~**

The car pulled to a stop and Jackie flung her door open, rushing from the car and into her husband's arms. Rose smiled sympathetically at the Doctor, squeezing his hand reassuringly before slipping out of the car. Sighing heavily, the Doctor followed. However, he hung back, watching as Tony pulled away from his parents and ran over to his big sister. Rose immediately scooped him into her arms, cuddling him close. To the Doctor's bewilderment, she then started walking over to him, whispering something to her little brother as she walked. When they eventually reached the Doctor, both Tony and the Doctor took a few moments to look each other over. Tony, with his slightly floppy blonde hair, had wide brown eyes and the same facial shape as his sister, and was dressed in jeans and a light blue 'Superman' t-shirt, completing the look with a dark blue hoodie and blue converses. Abruptly, he thrust his hand out to the Doctor, who blinked several times before realising that Tony wanted to shake his hand.

"Hi, you must be Tony, right?" the Doctor asked, plastering on a slightly wobbly grin.

"Yep!" Tony replied enthusiastically "And you're Rose's Doctor!"

The Doctor genuinely grinned at that; not only had he been referred to as 'Rose's Doctor', but it was her little brother who had called him that and he seemed genuinely excited to meet him.

"That's me." the Doctor confirmed "Although, technically, I'm Doctor Jonathan Theta Lungbarrow, but most people just call me Doctor."

Rose was grinning at her little brother, as Tony continued to talk.

"Are you gonna stay with Rose and us here? Please say yes! And you can help Rose tell me bedtime stories- she tells me stories about you two. My favourite's the one with the little girl who trapped people in drawings, and you got trapped but you still helped Rose figure it out! Rose was really sad without you here. Mummy and Daddy were sad too, because Rose was sad and they said that the only person who could cheer her up was you; even Uncle Mickey couldn't cheer her up. I think Mummy missed you too, because I'd hear her talking to Daddy some nights when they thought I was asleep, about how she wished you could come back and make Rose happy again. Please stay!" Tony was breathing heavily by the time he'd finished speaking.

Rose glanced at the Doctor, the grin fading from her face at what Tony had revealed to the Doctor. Suddenly, Jackie and Pete- who had clearly heard what Tony had said- came over and lifted him from Rose's arms.

"Come on, tiger, time for bed." Pete told him as Jackie took her son in her arms.

"But Daddy!" Tony moaned "I wanna stay and talk to the Doctor more!"

"It's alright, Tony," The Doctor piped up as he tugged Rose to him and pulled her into a hug "we'll both be here when you wake up to tomorrow morning."

And, just like that, Doctor Jonathan Theta Lungbarrow had met Tony Tyler.

**A/N 2: please R+R :)**


	3. Pillow Talk

**A/N: Here's the third instalment of Lungbarrow. Enjoy!**

Lungbarrow: Pillow Talk

The Doctor perched awkwardly on the edge of Rose's large bed, gazing around the bedroom. He noticed that, apart from the framed photos of her and Tony, and her, Pete and Jackie, the walls were pretty bare. Painted a pale blue colour, Rose's walls lacked anything truly..._homely_. There were, however, a few wobbly stick drawing pictures, all of which proclaimed 'me and Rose' in childish, occasionally back to front lettering; clearly written and drawn by Tony. The Doctor was shaken out of his trance by Rose shaking his shoulder gently.

"Doctor!" Rose chided good-naturedly "I called you three times! I'm gonna go brush my teeth in the bathroom, there's a spare toothbrush for you next to the sink."

The Doctor nodded, smiling in embarrassment. He watched Rose head into her en suite bathroom before standing up to examine the photos closer. As expected, most of the ones of Rose with Jackie or Pete had been taken at formal functions, evidently Vitex launches, or Torchwood business parties. All the other photos were of Rose and Tony, ranging from when Tony was evidently only a few hours old right up to more recent photos that had probably been taken just before Rose left for her original Universe. Rubbing his eyes, and wondering why his body had to be so..._human_, the Doctor sat back down on the bed. It was then that he noticed the cluster of framed photos on the bedside table to the right of the bed. This was evidently the side of the bed Rose favoured to sleep on, if the photos were anything to go by. Because they were photos of the Doctor. Frowning slightly, the Doctor's gaze swept over each photo in turn; the first one, of himself and Rose both wearing paper party hats on Christmas day after the Sycorax; the second photo, his ninth incarnation, Jack and Rose asleep on Jackie's sofa after a particularly trying adventure; the third photo of Rose and Jack sat side by side on the control room chair, Jack's arm round Rose's shoulders as they both beamed at the camera; the fourth photo, the Doctor in his current incarnation, wearing just surfer shorts and laying on a beach towel on a Barcelona beach, evidently asleep despite his eyes being obscured by tinted aviator sunglasses. The Doctor spluttered a laugh at the noseless dog in the background of the photo.

"Enjoying yourself?"

The Doctor jumped at the sound of Rose's voice, having not heard her come back into the room. Rose merely grinned and headed across the room to the bed. The Doctor blinked as she sat beside him on the bed.

"You've changed." The Doctor stated, gesturing at the blue vest top and shorts she was now wearing, her smart black trousers and purple t-shirt having been stripped off.

"Yeah, I have. Right in front of you, and all! I should be offended; there was a time when you couldn't take your eyes off me and here I was getting changed right in front of you and you didn't blink!" Rose told him, mock-offended.

The Doctor grinned.

"How'd you get the photos?" the Doctor asked after a while.

"They were all still on my phone, and Mickey managed to track down a USB lead for me so I put them on my laptop and printed them off." Rose explained.

The Doctor shifted on the bed, scooting over to the left side as Rose nudged him gently. He watched as she slipped under the covers. The Doctor went to follow suit, but Rose stopped him, eying his clothing deliberately.

"What?" the Doctor asked "you never had a problem with me getting in your bed with my suit on when we lived on the TARDIS!"

"Well, that was usually because the only time you shared my bed with me on the TARDIS was when I'd had a nightmare, or I was ill or something, and couldn't be bothered to mention it. Plus, you weren't wearing your converses at the time!" Rose replied, nodding at his converse-clad feet.

Sighing, the Doctor pulled his converse, socks and suit jacket off before turning back to Rose. Rose, now lying on her stomach with her hands folded under her cheek, merely raised her eyebrows at him. Shaking his head, but unable to suppress an amused grin, the Doctor pulled his t-shirt off before standing up and pulling his suit trousers off as well. Now clad in just his boxers, the Doctor was finally permitted to climb beneath the duvet. Rose clicked off the single lamp on her bedside table that had previously been illuminating the room. The pair found themselves plunged into relative silence. They simply lay there in silence for a few minutes, the Doctor still gazing round the room, only just able to make out the outline of the photo frames now.

Suddenly, unable to stop himself, the Doctor blurted out the question that he had wanted to ask since arriving at the Tyler Mansion.

"Are you happy here?"

As soon as he'd spoken, he regretted it. A mixture of emotions passed over Rose's face, and she remained silent for another few seconds before replying.  
>"Yeah...I suppose." Rose replied hesitantly.<p>

"You don't sound so sure." The Doctor murmured.

"I'm not." Rose admitted quietly.

The Doctor frowned, turning onto his side to face Rose. Although he didn't talk, his eyes spoke volumes; he wanted to know more, but he wouldn't push her.

"I was happy, I was. I mean, I've got Mum and Dad, and Tony...I've got a pretty decent job at Torchwood that pays enough to live comfortably and then some, and I've made friends with a few people from work, like Arthur. I was fine here." Rose replied, her voice becoming more and more adamant as she spoke. But it wasn't just the Doctor she was trying to convince.

"Then why's your room here so bare? Why do you even still live here; with the money Torchwood pays you, you could buy an apartment, or house, so why live here with your parents?" the Doctor asked, indicating the virtually bare walls.

"I'm twenty-four, have barely any possessions and still living with my parents for one very simple reason; so that when you returned I'd be ready to leave immediately." Rose muttered.

"Oh, Rose." The Doctor murmured sadly "I told you it was impossible for me to get back, why would you waste your life waiting for me when you have a loving family growing up around you?"

Rose let out a mirthless laugh at that, and pulled a hand out from under her cheek to slap the Doctor's shoulder half-heartedly.

"Because I love you." Rose told him, rolling her eyes.

The Doctor pulled Rose into a hug, rolling back onto his back so her head was cushioned on his bare chest.

"Promise me, Rose, if something happens, if something happens to me, don't spend your whole life waiting. I want you to have the best life possible." The Doctor whispered in her ear.

"Not gonna happen." Rose replied stubbornly.

"Rose, please. I don't want you wasting your whole life waiting for something that won't happen. I mean, what would have happened if there hadn't been a Reality bomb to rip open the Breach between the two Universes?" the Doctor asked, squeezing his eyes shut against the oncoming tears.

"I would have waited." Rose answered simply.

"But, Rose..." the Doctor began to protest.

"Doctor, I love you. And I promised you forever. If I had to wait forever, then that's what I'd have done. You're my Doctor." Rose told him honestly.

"My Rose." The Doctor murmured, kissing her on the top of her head.

Finally reunited, and with the promise of forever, the Doctor and Rose fell into a blissful sleep.


	4. First Morning

**A/N: The Doctor's first morning at the Tyler Mansion now..**

Lungbarrow: First Morning

Jackie Tyler sighed as she watched her three year old son stare at the Doctor from across the breakfast table, putting his head in his hands and- consequently- his elbow in his cornflakes. Rose laughed and quickly pulled Tony's arm out of his bowl, grinning as Tony grimaced at his now milk-soaked elbow. Squirming a bit in his seat, the little boy began tugging his pyjama top off, and Rose moved to help him. Just then, Pete hurried into the room; he was already dressed, like the Doctor and Rose, but was wearing a dark suit rather than a t-shirt and jeans.

"Ready for your first day at Torchwood, Doctor?" Pete asked as he gratefully accepted a cup of coffee from Jackie.

The Doctor gave a tight smile and nod in response; he was, in truth, slightly nervous- they had agreed last night that he would work at Torchwood, but the Doctor still didn't know quite what to expect.

"Oh, you'll be fine, sweetheart." Jackie told him, noticing the Doctor's unease.

"Yeah, it'll probably be nothing out of the ordinary for you!" Rose pointed out, watching Tony devour the last of his cornflakes.

"I suppose," the Doctor conceded.

"Right," Pete announced, finishing his coffee "we'd better be off now."

Rose and the Doctor both stood, Rose dropping a kiss on Tony's head before hugging her Mum goodbye.

"But...but..." Tony suddenly began protesting, his eyes wide and panicky "I wanted to show the Doctor my bedroom, and all the pictures Rose painted on my wall, and the drawings Rose helped me do, and...And..." Tony scrunched his face up in concentration "the tree house!"

"Sweetheart, you can show all that to the Doctor when he gets home." Jackie reassured her son.

But still, Tony looked teary-eyed.

"But I had games planned! For me an' the Doctor an' Rose!" Tony protested feebly.

By now, the Doctor was feeling rather awkward; he had thought that the boy may be tearful about him taking Rose away from him, but not from him going to work- he was starting to feel a little embarrassed by all the attention. Rose quickly knelt on the floor, and Tony gratefully ran into his sister's arms.

"Come on, Tony, I promise the Doctor and I will try and get home as early as possible today and then we can play some of your games, yeah? And, to make up for being away these last few weeks, I'll even tell you two bedtime stories, ok?" Rose told her little brother.

Tony pulled away slightly, watching his sister carefully.

"Two stories?" Tony repeated sceptically.

The Doctor smirked, glancing at Pete and Jackie, who were also trying hard not to laugh at the three year old's serious tone.

"Two stories." Rose confirmed, ruffling her little brother's hair.

"Ok, but the Doctor's gotta help tell them too." Tony answered, looking over Rose's shoulder expectantly at the Doctor. The Doctor, for the first time all morning, forgot his fears and worries about working for Torchwood and grinned at Tony, giving him a mock salute.

"Of course." The Doctor answered.

Pete glanced at his watch.

"Rose, we need to hurry up, or we'll be late." Pete pointed out to his daughter, although smiled as he watched his two children together.

"Yeah, ok." Rose replied, getting to her feet.

Pete kissed Jackie on the cheek and headed out into the entrance hall to get his coat. While Jackie cleared away the breakfast things, the Doctor, Rose and Tony headed out to meet Pete at the car, Tony still nattering all the way about what bedtime stories he wanted. The Doctor merely shook his head, laughing, and headed outside to the car.

"Are they still talking?" Pete asked exasperatedly after winding the car window down.

"Yup." The Doctor answered, grinning.

Pete sighed before bellowing "Rose Marion Tyler, get out here now!"

All he got in response was a muffled "In a minute!"

The Doctor watched in amusement as Pete climbed back out the car and slammed the door shut.

"How exactly do you plan on splitting your kids up? By the looks of it, Tony goes virtually everywhere Rose does, and they both talk as much as Jackie!" The Doctor pointed out, earning a chuckle from Pete.

"Oh, when they get like this, they only respond to strict Torchwood-style discipline." Pete replied, grinning at the Doctor's shocked expression.

"Umm...right." the Doctor murmured, rather confused.

"Like so," Pete told him, before shouting into the house "Commander Tyler, get out here this instant!"

The Doctor couldn't help but laugh as Rose hurried out the front door and across the driveway to the car.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming, no need to shout, Dad!" Rose complained, although she did grin at the Doctor.

Just then, a still bare-chested Tony appeared at the door, close to tears again.

"As for you, Private Tyler, I suggest you go get dressed!" Pete told his son, who quickly scampered back inside and slammed the front door shut.

The Doctor and Rose settled themselves into the backseat of Pete's Lexus. As Pete pulled out of the drive, the three of them sat in silence for a few moments. Eventually, Pete broke the silence.

"I really hope it's not gonna be like that every morning!" he told them.

The Doctor and Rose glanced at each other before they burst out laughing.


	5. Familiar Faces

**A/N: Yes, yet another chapter! Some familiar Who and Torchwood characters make an appearance here...As always, please R+R, and a big shoutout to HowTheMightyNeverFell, who has reviewed every time I update!**

Lungbarrow: Familiar Faces

"Doctor," Rose began cautiously.

"Mmm?" the Doctor replied half-heartedly as he watched Canary Wharf draw nearer.

"There's something I need to warn you about." Rose admitted gently.

"What's that?" the Doctor asked, frowning as he turned to look at her.

"Well, first of all, I need you to remember, this is a parallel world and you may...You may see people who you, well, recognise." Rose reminded him.

"Rose, I feel your skating around the subject here." The Doctor told her, very confused now.

"Donna Noble's our secretary." Rose announced quickly.

The Doctor's eyes widened, and his breath quickened suddenly, before he schooled his expression.

"Oh..." he murmured "Right..."

**~StormWolf10~**

As it turned out, meeting the Donna Noble from Pete's World wasn't actually that difficult for the Doctor. She was, fundamentally, the same as his Donna, only a lot more confident- like she was those last few months she'd spent on the TARDIS- and it was clear she was close friends with Rose. In fact, she was hugging Rose the moment she walked through the door, both women hugging each other tight. However, Donna immediately calmed herself down when she noticed Pete. The Doctor grinned, and quickly introduced himself, to which Donna responded by turning to Rose and squealing "You found your Doctor!". Soon after that, the girls began to talk shopping trips, so Pete took the Doctor up to meet his new field team.

**~StormWolf10~**

Field team FT489/5 wasn't quite what the Doctor was expecting. Admittedly, he'd had little experience with Jack's Torchwood, and so only had Hartman's Torchwood to go by. Therefore, the Doctor was pleasantly surprised to find that his Field Team consisted of a young married couple, a Welshman and a Welshwoman, all of whom seemed very close friends.

"Doctor, this will be your Field Team. May I introduce you to Dr Owen Harper, Toshiko Harper, Ianto Jones and Gwen Cooper. Team, this is your new commander." Pete announced.

The team smiled and greeted the Doctor politely, although all seemed slightly nervous.

"Any questions?" Pete asked, noticing the lack of communication.

None of the team seemed to have any questions, so Pete patted the Doctor on the shoulder and left him to meet his Field Team.

"So...Um, hi. I'm Doctor Jonathan Theta Lungbarrow, pleased to meet you." The Doctor began awkwardly.

Again, there were several murmured "Hi"s and then they lapsed into silence.

"So, you're Rose's friend, right?" Gwen- the Welshwoman- piped up.

"Ah, the one she was split up from? The one who was 'just a friend'?" Owen- a young Englishman- asked.

"Yeah. We...We were separated for a while, but I'm back and, well, I'm not sure we were ever 'just friends', not according to Jackie anyway..." the Doctor admitted.

"Well, it's good to meet you. Maybe you're what Rose needs to perk her up a bit. Don't get me wrong, she always came with us when we went out for nights out and parties, but there always seemed to be something wrong. Something..._missing_." Toshiko admitted.

"Yeah, and she was even worse with some of the guys she didn't know as well," Ianto piped up, his soft Welsh accent obvious. "She was even more distant with them. Actually, the only people she ever seemed relaxed around were us, her own Field Team, and Mickey."

"Yeah, but you shoulda seen her when she talked about you." Owen chipped in.

"She talked about me?" the Doctor asked, perplexed.

"All the time," Gwen confirmed "and believe me, she only ever seemed truly happy when she was talking about you."

For once, the Doctor was speechless.

**~StormWolf10~**

After spending the next few hours covering the basics with his Field Team, and meeting others in the department, the Doctor headed down to meet Rose in the canteen.

"Oh, here comes trouble!" Donna announced from the table where she was sat beside Rose.

The Doctor merely grinned and dropped into the opposite chair.

"We've just gotta wait for Dad and then we can get home." Rose told the Doctor, grinning.

"I expect we won't get a moment's rest, will we?" the Doctor asked, sighing, although he grinned.

"Nope, Tony will be waiting on the doorstep, probably. We'll get home by about four, which gives us about an hour before dinner to play a few games with him. He goes to bed at half six, so we'll only be able to play a couple of games with him." Rose explained.

"Ah, Tony got you playing games with him again, eh?" Donna asked, grinning.

The Doctor nodded "Yeah, he wants to show me his tree house and his bedroom and stuff. Got quite upset this morning that I had to work and I couldn't spend the day playing with him." The Doctor replied.

"And I've gotta read him two bedtime stories tonight, to make up for being away all those weeks." Rose informed Donna, grinning.

Just then, Pete entered the canteen, heading over to their table.

"Hello, Donna." Pete greeted the secretary before turning his attention to his daughter and her...partner? "You two ready to go?"

"Yep." They both answered, getting to their feet.

"See you tomorrow, Donna." The Doctor said, grinning at the fiery red-head.

"Yep, nice to finally meet you, Doctor." Donna replied sincerely.

"See you tomorrow. We need to sort out a date for that shopping trip!" Rose reminded her friend.

Donna nodded in agreement. "Oh, and give Tony my love. I haven't seen him for weeks!" Donna told them.

The Doctor realised then that Donna must be a fairly regular visitor to the Tyler Mansion, and a close friend to Rose. He felt a swell of pride to know that, in this world at least, Donna was living her life to its full potential. He quickly followed Pete and Rose back down to the underground car park, mentally bracing himself for the eager three year old that awaited them at home.


	6. Tony Tyler's New Best Friend

**A/N: New chapter, aren't you lucky? (4 in a day!) More adorableness from Tony here. Also, Rose and Pete call Tony 'Private' because Rose's rank in Torchwood is Commander, and the rank of 'Private' is below it, so I thought it'd be sweet if they gave him that rank XD**

Lungbarrow: Tony Tyler's new best friend

Tony Tyler sat on the bottom step of the staircase, staring resolutely at the front door. He had no idea how long he had been sat there, as he was as of yet unable to tell the time, but he did know that it had been ages. Just when he was about to give up, the front door opened and Rose headed in, followed by the Doctor and Pete. Immediately, Tony leapt to his feet and barrelled into his sister, hugging her tight.

"Hey there, Private, miss me?" Rose asked, lifting her brother into her arms.

Tony nodded eagerly.

"I missed you lots and lots, Rose! It's been ages since you went to work!" Tony complained as he wrapped his legs round her waist.

"Well, we're back now and I thought you said something about showing the Doctor your room, eh?" Rose reminded the three year old, grinning as his face lit up.

"Yeah!" Tony agreed excitedly, clambering to the floor before grabbing the Doctor's hand and beginning to tug him towards the stairs.

**~StormWolf10~**

When they reached Tony's bedroom door, it looked no different to any other three year old boy's door, right down to the giraffe door sign stating 'Tony's room'. However, once Tony pushed the bedroom door open, the Doctor realised that this wasn't an ordinary kid's bedroom.

"Who painted all this?" the Doctor asked in awe.

"Rose did it! I painted the plain blue wall, though." Tony announced, running over and jumping on the bed.

The Doctor turned back to Rose, who smiled nervously and shrugged.

"You did this? I didn't know you were this good at art!" the Doctor told her in shock.

"I'm not that good, it's just a three year old's bedroom." Rose shrugged modestly.

"What do you mean 'Not that good'? You've painted an exact copy of the Time Vortex on your brother's bedroom walls! You've painted all the planets we visited on the ceiling! There's no 'just' about it! This is amazing!" the Doctor enthused, grinning wildly.

Rose blushed and shrugged again.

"And these are all the pictures me and Rose drew together!" Tony announced, jumping off the bed and running across to the wall next to the door, grabbing the Doctor's hand on the way to tug him over.

The Doctor gazed intently at the pieces of paper blue-tacked messily to the wall; there were pictures of Daleks, Auton, the TARDIS, Woman Wept, even a Barcelona dog. Some of which were evidently drawn by Rose, and were proper full-on sketches, while others were shaky drawings done by Tony- who probably copied Rose's drawings- and some were drawings that Rose had drawn in pen and Tony had coloured in.

"Did you relay him every adventure we went on?" the Doctor asked Rose quietly.

Rose shook her head. "Not all of them. He's too young to hear about how we met Jack, and Mum'd kill me if I told him about the clockwork droids."

The Doctor nodded in understanding.

"Can we go out to the tree house now?" Tony asked, tugging Rose's hand.

"Yeah, come on then, Private. Lead the way!"

**~StormWolf10~**

They headed out and sat in the tree house for almost half an hour until Jackie called up to tell them dinner was ready. It had turned out, that the TARDIS-blue tree house had been built by Pete for his son, and housed several push cushions and bean bags as well as a deep blue rug. It was much bigger than usual tree houses, and measured 7x7 feet. One wall was totally taken up by cubby holes that were full of cuddly toys, picture books and crayons. The Doctor had been amused to find that, although it had been purpose-built and painted for the enthusiastic, hyper three year old Tony, he actually shared it with Rose, and the two of them often spent the warmer evenings holed up in there together for endless hours. Tony had immediately protested when Jackie told them dinner was ready, scuffing his small blue converses against the floor and cuddling into his sister's shoulder as she lifted him from the bean bag to prompt him to head down the rope ladder.

**~StormWolf10~**

After dinner, Tony had dragged the Doctor and Rose outside to play hide and seek- a feat that was extremely easy, due to Tony being unable to stop giggling even while he hid- but, soon it was half past six and that meant bedtime for the youngest Tyler. He had begun to protest, but Rose reminded him that she and the Doctor owed him two bedtime stories, and he quickly kissed both his parents tonight and ran upstairs. Rose helped him undo his tiny converses and he quickly got dressed in his pyjamas before burrowing under his duvet.

The Doctor grinned and nodded towards the battered toy bear that Tony was clutching.

"Who's this, then?" the Doctor asked.

"Toffee." Tony replied, grinning.

"Ah, has Toffee come to listen to the stories?" the Doctor asked, grinning at the little boy.

Tony nodded vigorously.

Rose grinned and lay down on the side of the bed next to Tony, holding the book up so he could look at the pictures in the book. The Doctor and Rose took it in turns to do voices, Rose doing all the female characters while the Doctor did all the male ones. Eventually, they had read Tony two stories, and the little boy was almost asleep. Carefully, Rose stood up and placed the book back on the shelf.

"See you tomorrow, ok Private?" Rose told her little brother fondly, kissing him on the forehead.

Tony nodded tiredly.

"Yeah, sleep well buddy, we'll see you in the morning." The Doctor told him, ruffling his hair.

Tony smiled sleepily.

"Doctor," the little boy murmured "did I tell you, you're my new best friend."

The Doctor grinned at the sleepy child.

"Yeah?" the Doctor asked, absurdly touched.

"Yeah." Tony murmured.

"Hey," Rose complained in mock-anger "I thought I was your best friend!"

"You both are. I love you both." Tony replied sleepily.

Before either Rose or the Doctor could answer, Tony was asleep.


	7. My Peter Pan

**A/N: Babysitting Tony leads to Rose and the Doctor having a rather interesting conversation... This entire chapter was based on the one **_**Peter Pan**_** quote. I've not seen the film for ages, so apologies as I couldn't remember the exact scene the quote was from**

Lungbarrow: My Peter Pan

Tony Tyler sat in front of the large flat screen TV, staring avidly at the screen as he watched one of his favourite films. Jackie and Pete had gone out for a meal that night, and had left Rose and the Doctor to babysit Tony. At the little boy's insistence, the Doctor and Rose soon found themselves curled up in the sitting room with Tony, watching Peter Pan.

'Don't you understand, Tink? You mean more to me than the whole world!' the cartoon Peter Pan announced, causing Tony to cheer in delight. Rose smiled at her brother's reaction to the scene.

"Is he always like this when watching this scene?" the Doctor whispered into Rose's ear.

Grinning, Rose nodded. "Yeah," she replied quietly "he adores this film, but he loves this scene in particular."

The Doctor grinned back.

"I was obsessed with Peter Pan when I was his age; watched the film virtually every day. Actually, I watched it so much that I broke the video. I just loved the whole idea that there's this whole other place out there, where the kids could do whatever they wanted, they fought pirates and had adventures and lived with fairies." Rose told him, making sure she kept her voice quiet so as not to disturb Tony.

However, the little boy was so engrossed with the film that he seemingly hadn't even heard the two adults talking. Dressed in his little green dinosaur pyjamas, Tony hadn't stopped staring at the screen since the film started.

**~StormWolf10~**

Hours later, once Tony was tucked up in bed, Rose and the Doctor were curled up on the sofa again.

"You know," Rose piped up, not looking away from the TV as she spoke "maybe you should've been called Peter."

"Oh?" the Doctor asked, confused as he tore his gaze from the TV to look at Rose "And why's that?"

"Because you refuse to grow up. You're just a big kid at heart, aren't you?" Rose replied, grinning up at him. "'All children grow up except one'" she added, grinning at the familiar tagline.

"Rose," the Doctor began carefully "I've seen a lot of things in my life. Horrible things. I _had_ to grow up."

"Yeah, I know that, but it's just...The way you act, when you're playing with Tony, or when we used to have adventures- and before you say, I know that wasn't _you_ but you're the same person, point still stands- and, well, pretty much anytime we're not running for our lives. You're like a kid in a candy store most of the time!" Rose exclaimed, laughing.

"What are you getting at here, Rose?" the Doctor asked, smirking- he knew exactly what she was getting at.

"You're my Peter Pan." Rose replied, her cheeks flushing with colour as she realised she'd said it out loud.

"Yeah?" the Doctor asked, absurdly touched "And what does that make you? Wendy?"

"No!" Rose shouted quickly, causing the Doctor to raise his eyebrow at her "I mean, no. Wendy left. She went home and left him in Neverland. He took her daughter to Neverland after that, and then her daughter, and her daughter. Wendy let him go; she let him slip through her fingers and I don't think a day went by when she didn't wonder what her life would have been like if she'd stayed with him. I'd never let that happen to us; I promised you forever and I mean it." She finished quietly, staring at their joined hands rather than his face.

The Doctor was startled when Rose looked up and he saw tears in her eyes.

"Hey now! Come on, Rose, it's just a kid's story!" he told her gently, chuckling quietly.

"No, 's not that. I've just realised. We did the same to him." Rose whispered, burrowing herself into his chest.

The Doctor swallowed hard and closed his eyes at that, begging the tears not to fall. There was no questioning who 'him' was; the other, Time Lord him.

"Oh, Rose." The Doctor whispered, at a loss of what to say.

"Coz Peter's Lost Boys, they're the Doctor's companions and they all just..._left_. They left to grow up, to get on with their lives. They just left him there, with barely a second thought. An' now he's alone, an' that's not fair because everyone else has someone. But he has no one." Rose continued tearfully.

The Doctor couldn't fault Rose's logic, but he was now struggling to work out whether she was talking about the Time Lord him or Peter Pan.

"Rose, he's been alone before, the other me. He'll find someone else, he always does. Just like Peter Pan. He'll sit around on his own for a while, maybe have a few adventures, and then he'll get bored and go looking for someone else to show off to. He'll be fine." The Doctor assured her gently, rubbing her back.

"Peter Pan or the other you?" Rose asked, smiling weakly despite her tears.

"Both." The Doctor answered, eliciting a watery laugh from Rose. "Now, Miss Tyler, you didn't answer my question; if I'm your Peter Pan, what are you?"

Rose shrugged, relaxing against him.

"I know," the Doctor said suddenly, causing Rose to sit up "you're my Tinker Bell."

Rose properly grinned at that, before settling in for a hug.

"I love you, you know. My Tink." The Doctor whispered in her ear, hugging her to him.

"I love you too, my Peter Pan." Rose replied sleepily "But you do realise, Tink was sometimes a right bitch, right?"

The Doctor laughed at that, and Rose smiled. Then, grinning to himself, the Doctor recalled a certain moment from the film earlier on. He then brushed a lock of hair from Rose's forehead before kissing her gently.

Very quietly, he whispered in her ear. "Don't you understand, Tink? You mean more to me than the whole world!"

**A/N 2: Please R+R!**


	8. Rude and Very Ginger

**A/N: Ok, this is the (hopefully) eagerly anticipated 8****th**** instalment of my **_**Lungbarrow**_** series. Enjoy, and please review!**

Lungbarrow: Rude and very ginger

Tony Tyler had wanted a pet for ages. His parents had desperately tried putting him off; they told him that he'd lose interest in a pet, that it would be them to look after it. So, it was with great surprise that when the Doctor and Rose arrived home from work, to find an extremely excited Tony running at them.

"Woah there, Private! What's gotten into you?" The Doctor asked, laughing as Rose scooped her little brother up into her arms.

"Mummy and Daddy brought me a kitten!" Tony exclaimed excitedly, beaming from ear to ear.

"Did they?" Rose asked, slightly shocked that her parents had actually given in and got him a pet.

"Yeah! Come and see him!" Tony announced, wriggling out of Rose's grip.

Tony scampered into the sitting room, closely followed by the Doctor and Rose. There, on the rug in front of the fire, was a small ginger kitten who tensed his limbs as soon as they headed over to him, ready to run if they even attempted to hurt him.

"He's...He's ginger!" the Doctor spluttered, pointing at the kitten.

"Are you jealous of my brother's kitten, Doctor?" Rose asked, grinning.

The Doctor spluttered at that, going bright red and rubbing the back of his neck. "Well..." he began.

"Oh my god, you are, aren't you!" Rose realised, laughing.

Just then, Jackie appeared at the sitting room door.

"Ah, Tony's told you about the kitten, then?" Jackie asked, nodding towards the little boy, who was now crouched in front of the tiny kitten, stroking his ginger fur gently.

Rose nodded. "Yeah, and the Doctor's jealous because it's ginger."

Jackie smirked. "So, have you decided on a name yet, Tony?" Jackie asked her son.

Tony nodded eagerly. "Yeah, Marmalade!"

The Doctor laughed and bounded over to high-five the small boy, ruffling his blonde hair while Rose rolled her eyes and Jackie sighed. The kitten, startled by the sudden movements, skidded behind Rose's legs, who bent down and picked him up.

"Tony's been spending too much time with _him_, I'm telling you! Naming his cat after food produce!" Jackie scolded Rose, nodding towards the Doctor.

Rose laughed.

"Oh, come on, Mum! It's just a name for a cat, what harm will it do?" Rose pointed out, stroking the kitten behind its ear.

"I suppose you're right," Jackie sighed before raising her voice and addressing Tony "why don't you go and get the present we brought for your sister, eh, Tony?"

Rose frowned in confusion as Tony nodded and ran out of the room.

"What've you brought me?" Rose asked Jackie carefully, confused.

Jackie shrugged.

"Something you've wanted for years." Jackie replied casually.

"Hang on, you've brought me something because you brought Tony a cat, didn't you? You didn't have to do that, Mum!" Rose told her, laughing slightly.

"Yeah, but I doubt you'll be willing to give it back, will you?" the Doctor pointed out, grinning.

"Oh, shush, you!" Rose retorted, grinning back at him.

Just then, Tony reappeared in the doorway, his little face scrunched up in concentration as he carefully carried Rose's present over to her. Rose gasped, and quickly lowered Marmalade to the floor, crouching in front of Tony. The Doctor couldn't help but grin at how pleased Rose was about her present. Carefully, and oh so gently, Rose lifted the little smoky grey kitten into her arms.

"We were only going to get the one kitten, but when I arrived there today to pick Tony's up, the woman was saying that one of the other buyers had dropped out so she had another kitten she had to sell." Jackie explained "You've been pestering me for one since you were Tony's age, so I figured I'd buy it."

By now, Rose had sat down on the floor, her new kitten on her lap.

"Thanks Mum!" she told Jackie, grinning "How much did he cost, I'll pay you back."

Jackie shook her head at that.

"You won't be paying anyone back! Your father and I brought him for you as a gift, no need to pay us for him." Jackie told her daughter strictly.

**~StormWolf10~**

Later that night, after dinner, everyone was gathered in the sitting room, Rose and the Doctor curled up on the sofa near the fire, Jackie and Pete on the opposite sofa and Tony on the floor in front of the TV. Marmalade and Smoky- Rose's kitten- were curled up together on the rug in front of the fire, having seemingly claimed it as their own. As the evening wore on, Jackie sent Tony up to bed, who begged the Doctor to read him a bedtime story. Relenting, the Doctor let the little boy lead him from the room. He returned just over a quarter of an hour later.

"Tony's fast asleep." He assured Jackie and Pete, who nodded and thanked him.

The Doctor headed back over to sit beside Rose when he stopped. Glaring at the creature that had clearly stolen his seat, he found that the rest of the room's occupants were laughing at him.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"You really are jealous of Tony's kitten, aren't you, Doctor?" Pete asked, laughing.

"I am not!" the Doctor protested, blushing.

"You are! You're glaring at him for stealing your seat!" Jackie pointed out.

"But it was my seat first!" he whined.

Rose swore that, any minute now, he'd stamp his foot, go and sit in the corner of the room and sulk like Tony did.

"Doctor, it's a kitten. He only sat in your spot because it was warm." Rose told him, stroking Smoky's fur "Besides, you're not complaining about Smoky."

"That's because Smoky's on your lap. I wasn't sat in your lap, therefore Smoky didn't steal my spot." The Doctor explained, still glaring at Marmalade.

"Doctor, come on, just sit down." Rose told him, sighing.

"No! I expect Marmalade wouldn't like it if I stole his spot!" the Doctor announced.

"So, what are you gonna do, sit on the rug the rest of the night?" Jackie asked, smirking.

"Well...No." the Doctor admitted, sinking onto the sofa beside Marmalade.

Marmalade blinked, raised his little head and gazed up at the Doctor.

"You're rude, you know that?" the Doctor muttered to the kitten.

Rose smirked.

"Well, he is, Rose!" the Doctor protested, louder this time, so everyone could hear "He's rude and very ginger!"

"And yet you're still jealous of him, Doctor." Rose commented, grinning as Smoky nuzzled her palm.

The Doctor just glared at her.


	9. I don't want to miss a thing

**A/N: the 9****th**** instalment of Lungbarrow is finally here! Based on the Aerosmith song "I don't want to miss a thing", this chapter is mainly a nice little heart to heart confession between Pete and the Doctor in the early hours of the morning.**

Lungbarrow: I don't want to miss a thing

Pete risked a glance round the doorway into what Rose had dubbed the 'TV room'. The large room had been dubbed as such due to its huge comfy chairs and 42" flat screen TV. The only noise was the slight mumbling from the TV, which had been turned down to a low volume, and Pete saw his wife dozing between their two children, who were asleep on the sofa bed. Smiling gently, Pete moved to shut the door, walking straight into the Doctor as he did so, who had clearly just come in from work.

"How are they?" the Doctor asked quietly, nodding towards the now closed door.

"They seem fine, both are asleep though, and I think Tony's tired Jackie out too." Pete answered, grinning.

The Doctor grinned back before gesturing to the door.

"Mind if I stick my head round and check on Rose?" the Doctor asked, slightly embarrassed.

Pete merely nodded, stepping out of the way of the door.

"Sure, go ahead. I'll go stick the kettle on." Pete replied, heading along the corridor to the staircase.

The Doctor carefully eased the door open and glanced round. Satisfied he hadn't disturbed any of the room's occupants, he stepped inside. Smiling softly, the Doctor took in the scene in front of him. Jackie was dozing, half sat up on the sofa bed, one arm round each of her children. Little Tony was curled up, cuddled up to his Mum and wearing his green dinosaur pyjamas. His chicken pox, although mostly covered up by his pyjamas, were still red, and mostly probably itchy. Fortunately, all the other occupants of the house had already had chicken pox, the Doctor inheriting his immunity from Donna during the metacrisis. Rose, however, was currently off work due to a gunshot wound she had sustained the previous day. Much to her dismay- and under her father's instructions as head of Torchwood- Rose now found herself at the start of two weeks' sick leave. She had been rushed back from the field mission and straight into the Torchwood medical facility; a lot of blood had been lost and emergency surgery had been necessary, but the bullet was removed and Rose had been allowed home just over ten hours later. From where the Doctor was stood now, he could just about see the edge of the heavy bandaging that covered her torso, where her loose t-shirt had ridden up as she slept. Sighing, the Doctor carefully leant over and kissed Rose on the forehead before leaving the room.

**~StormWolf10~**

Later that night, after Tony had been put to bed, the Doctor and Rose were curled up together on the sofa in the sitting room, along with Pete and Jackie on the opposite sofa. Subconsciously, the Doctor kept two fingers on Rose's pulse point, keeping track of her respiration and heart beat. It wasn't something the Doctor was pleased about, but he'd come so close to losing her the day before without even realising it. As the night wore on, the four adults eventually turned in for the night, but the Doctor did not sleep. Instead, he lay beside Rose, watching her sleep, watching for any signs of distress. A million things were flying through his part-human part-Time Lord brain; was Rose suffering from internal bleeding? What if he fell asleep and she started experiencing pains and he didn't notice? Did they get the entire bullet out? Eventually, the Doctor sat up and padded out of their bedroom and headed downstairs, intending on getting a glass of water. However, when he reached the large kitchen, the Doctor was surprised to find Pete sat at the breakfast table in his dressing gown. Expecting to see Tony around, the Doctor glanced about, but was surprised to find that the little boy wasn't there.

"Hi, Pete," the Doctor piped up uncertainly, pulling a glass out of the cupboard and crossing to the fridge for the water jug.

"Oh, hi Doctor. What's up- can't sleep?" Pete asked quietly.

The Doctor nodded in confirmation.

"Me too," Pete confided, before adding "wanna talk about it?"

The Doctor shrugged, dropping into the chair opposite Pete and setting his glass of water on the table. After a long pause, the Doctor finally spoke.

"It's Rose," the Doctor admitted quietly "ever since yesterday, I'm scared I'm gonna go to sleep and wake up to find that this was all a dream and...Well, she didn't make it. Every time I close my eyes, I'm convinced I'm gonna open them again to find she's gone."

The two men lapsed into silence again; the Doctor embarrassed by what he'd just confessed and Pete unsure how to reply.

"Doctor," Pete piped up after several long moments "I understand. I'm, well, I'm sort of feeling the same way myself right now."

At that confession, the Doctor looked up from his glass, which he had been studying intently. He was shocked that Pete was feeling the same way.

"I...I think it's where I missed out on so much of Rose's life, when she was growing up, and when I let you two leave without getting to know you the first time we met. I...Well, I vowed, after the whole Canary Wharf incident that I was never going to miss another moment of Rose's life, not one single second. Because, it made me feel like her _Dad_. Even when she was first stuck here, and she'd be shouting and screaming and crying at me and Jacs, I wouldn't have missed it for _anything_. And it was all worth it, because seeing the way she is here now with you, is...It's just...Well, it certainly makes up for everything when she was first stuck here, and then some. And now, now I don't want to miss a single smile, a single laugh, a single _moment_ with her and Tony. I feel bad sometimes, when I catch Rose watching me with Tony. She looks so wistful, so desperate to have what Tony has. I know she doesn't envy him, but I do feel bad that Tony has all these memories of both his parents since he was tiny...Suppose it can't be helped. But, like you said, yesterday shook us all. It wasn't until yesterday until we almost lost her that I realised just how much I don't want to lose her. I don't just think of myself as her father anymore, but as Rose's Dad too." Pete admitted quietly.

Before the Doctor could reply however, the kitchen light suddenly flicked on, and the two men turned around to see Jackie and Rose stood in the doorway. Rose, although still a bit pale and weak due to the blood loss the day before, was watching her boyfriend and Dad in concern.

"Ah, hello, Rose," the Doctor announced far too chirpily to be real "you alright?"

Rose rolled her eyes slightly at that, crossing to the Doctor's side as fast as her shaky legs would carry her. Jackie, meanwhile, crossed to Pete's side, squeezing his shoulder gently.

"How much did you hear?" Pete asked uncertainly.

"Enough," Jackie admitted, glancing at her daughter, who was now settled in the Doctor's lap, sleep already pulling her back into its grasp.

"'M ok, though," Rose addressed the two men sleepily, sitting forward slightly to grasp her Dad's hand across the table "I'm gonna be fine. Don't get rid of me tha' easily."

Both the Doctor and Pete found they could only smile gently in reply.


	10. Shopping Trip

**A/N: New chapter finally! Lots of Doctor and Tony fluff and cuteness this chapter XD**

Lungbarrow: Shopping Trip

The Doctor lifted Tony into the little plastic seat in the trolley, strapping the wriggling boy in quickly. As the Doctor pushed the trolley into the supermarket, Tony folded his arms, pouting at him. Sighing, the Doctor stopped the trolley.

"Look, Tony, I'm sorry but I don't know my way around the supermarket and I _really_ don't need your mother yelling at me for losing you," the Doctor told the boy, ruffling his blonde hair.

The Doctor had been given the terrifying task of doing the week's shopping. Tony had just about recovered from his chicken pox, and was back to being his usual bundle of energy. Although Pete and Jackie were glad about this- it just didn't seem right with Tony just curled up asleep on the sofa- Rose was still off work due to a bullet wound, and the last thing she needed on her last few days of sick leave was her three year old brother pestering her to play with him. And so, it had fallen to the Doctor to take the little boy with him during the weekly shop so that Rose- and Jackie, for that matter, as it wasn't easy caring for two sick children, no matter how old they are- could have an hour or two uninterrupted rest. Digging in his pocket, the Doctor pulled out the crumpled shopping list Jackie had thrust in his hand upon pushing him out of the house.

"Ok, first of all we need milk, cheese and butter," the Doctor announced, grinning at Tony.

The little boy just stared back. The Doctor handed the boy the shopping list, with strict instructions not to drop it- and pushed the trolley into the supermarket.

**~StormWolf10~**

Half an hour later, they weren't even a quarter of the way down the shopping list, partially due to the Doctor desperately avoiding the Children's aisle, that was lined with kids books, toys and comics. The Doctor was constantly getting lost, the shopping trolley had a wonky wheel and Tony kept begging him to buy him sweets and toys, struggling in the confines of the small plastic seat. All in all, the Doctor was just about ready to tear his hair out. Speaking of hair, they had somehow wandered into the shampoo aisle. Tony dutifully handed him the shopping list, and the Doctor scoured the aisle, dropping in the various hair products each member of the family needed. That done, the Doctor pushed the trolley into the next aisle. And mentally cursed. Tony's face lit up in pure joy as he took in the aisle.

"I spent half an hour trying to avoid this one aisle, and I still end up here. How?" the Doctor murmured.

Suddenly, he felt a small hand tugging at the front of his black t-shirt. Looking down, he saw Tony looking up expectantly at him.

"Doctor," the little boy began sweetly.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, and was aware of the looks some of the other shoppers were giving them, having heard Tony call him 'Doctor'.

"Rose and your Mum have talked to you about this, haven't they, Tony." The Doctor reminded the three year old quietly.

Tony screwed his face up in concentration as he desperately tried to remember what his Mum and Rose had told him. At his realisation, his little face lit up like it was Christmas Day.

"Jonathan," Tony began again, grinning impishly up at him.

They had tried explaining to the little boy that he had to call the Doctor 'Jonathan' when they were out in public as it didn't raise questions. Tony, however, had yet to understand it.

"Yes, Tony," the Doctor replied, already knowing what was coming.

"Can I get a comic?"

The Doctor sighed as the three year old stared up at him with wide brown eyes. Realising that this could be the one thing that would keep Tony settled while he finished the shopping, he reluctantly unstrapped Tony from the seat and lifted him out.

"Go on then, go and pick a comic," the Doctor told the little boy.

Tony hurried over to the comics, eagerly flicking through several, while the Doctor followed with the trolley. Tony quickly chose a Thomas the Tank Engine comic, and allowed the Doctor to place him back in the plastic trolley seat. Hoping that the comic would keep the three year old occupied for a while at least, the Doctor hurried off in search of the rest of the items on the shopping list.

**~StormWolf10~**

Sighing with relief as he loaded the last of the carrier bags into the back of Pete's Lexus, the Doctor closed the boot. Lifting Tony out of the trolley, he pushed it over to the rest of the trolleys and hurried back to the car. The Doctor found that he now had a whole lot more respect for Pete and Jackie- although, he'd respected them greatly beforehand- now that he'd had to take little Tony out on his own. Granted, he and Rose had taken the three year old to the park a few times, but in the six months he'd known Tony the Doctor had never felt so relieved that Jackie would be looking after him again as soon as they were home. He strapped Tony into his booster seat in the back of the car and was just slipping into the driver's seat when he heard it.

"Isn't that little blonde kid Tony Tyler?"

The Doctor looked up abruptly at that, and quickly spotted the source of the question. There were two middle-aged, makeup-covered women near the entrance to the supermarket. Rolling his eyes, he figured that they were into celebrity gossip; in the six months since arriving, the Doctor had found that the tabloids were extremely interested in the Tylers and, by extension, the Doctor himself. Then again, Jackie had been killed in the Cyberman invasion, and then appeared three years later with a twenty-one year old daughter who was the Vitex heiress. Said twenty-one year old daughter then spent the next three years appearing and disappearing, before turning up with a boyfriend called Jonathan Theta Lungbarrow. It was no surprise that the tabloids were fascinated by them.

"Yeah, I think it is," the second woman agreed, eyes wide "an' if that were Tony Tyler, I'm betting that the bloke with him is Rose Tyler's boyfriend. You know, the one she brought back from Norway. Jonathan something, I think his name is..."

Trying to ignore the two gossips, the Doctor started up the engine, glancing over his shoulder to check on Tony, who was suspiciously quiet. The little boy had fallen asleep in the back seat, clutching his Thomas the Tank Engine comic to his chest. The Doctor smiled softly to himself and started up the engine.


	11. Wouldn't have it any other way

**A/N: I'm on a roll! Got a few chapter ideas planned out, so I should have quite a few chapters done!**

Lungbarrow: Wouldn't have it any other way

"Where are the Doctor and Tony?" Rose asked, frowning as she looked around the large kitchen.

"Outside in the garden. I keep seeing them run past every now and then." Jackie replied, glancing up from her cooking.

Sure enough, Rose caught a glimpse of mussed up brown hair over the top of one of the many bushes in the garden.

"I'm gonna go out, keep them company," Rose told her Mum, heading through the kitchen to the back door.

"I dunno if you're gonna be able to catch them, sweetheart," Jackie admitted "they've been running about so much I don't even know what they're wearing; the Doctor brought down some face paints before they went out there, but I don't know if they ever actually used them,"

Rose shook her head, grinning. "I have no idea how the Doctor does it; I mean, we've been back from work for like, twenty minutes and he's already running around with Tony. All I wanted to do is have a shower and fall into bed,"

"Another busy day?" Jackie asked mildly.

Rose nodded. "We got sent out to round up some escaped Weevils and they took Arthur hostage; took us almost four hours to track him down and the whole time Jake was moaning about his hair and Libby was refusing to touch anything."

Jackie smirked, shaking her head. "Go on, go see what that brother of yours is up to,"

Rose nodded, heading over to stand at the back door. She sighed, gazing round the large garden. The hedges, flowerbeds and bushes that were scattered throughout the garden acted as perfect barriers to shield small three year old boys and grown men who were technically only seven months old. At the edge of the garden was the large grand oak that housed the tree house, and Rose was sure that she saw a hint of messy blonde hair peeking out from behind the thick trunk. Despite her annoyance, Rose couldn't help but smile as she stepped out the back door and headed across the large expanse of grass. As she drew closer to the tree, she heard a giggle, and Tony darted out from behind the tree, heading for the back of the garden where, presumably, the Doctor was hiding. Setting off quickly after the three year old, Rose allowed the little boy to remain ever so slightly ahead of her, knowing that Tony would only be upset if she caught him so quickly. As she followed Tony behind a large lavender bush, she saw her little brother grab the Doctor's hand and dragged him from behind the bush.

"Run!" Tony announced, giggling.

The Doctor virtually swept the little boy into his arms and took off in the opposite direction. Rose quickly set off after them, keen to catch up.

**~StormWolf10~**

After nearly five minutes, the Doctor and Tony finally allowed a rather breathless Rose to catch up with them. For the first time, Rose had the chance to take in her partner and little brother. Both were bare-chested and bare foot, Tony in little denim shorts and the Doctor in his jeans, that he had rolled up to about knee level; they had clearly found a purpose for Tony's face paint, as their cheeks were streaked with red and black paint, and they both had bright red bandanas tied around their foreheads.

"So this is what you two have been up to while I was having a shower, eh?" Rose asked with mock shock.

Tony giggled, clinging to the Doctor's leg.

"If you hadn't guessed, we're the Lost Boys from Peter Pan, and the garden's Neverland," the Doctor chipped in, his cheeks flushing with his embarrassment.

"I didn't know that the Lost Boys had face paint," Rose announced pointedly, meeting the Doctor's gaze.

The Doctor shrugged. "Hey," he complained, but smiling all the same "I think we're allowed a little creative license!"

Rose just shook her head and returned her attention to her younger brother.

"Well, can I play?" Rose asked Tony, watching the three year old carefully.

The little boy looked at her thoughtfully for a few moments before speaking.

"You're not dressed right for a Lost Girl." Tony announced with as much seriousness a three year old in face paint could muster.

"No? And what should I be wearing?" Rose asked, crouching in front of the boy.

Tony shrugged. "I dunno. Something you'd run away in."

"So, if I go get changed, I can join in with the game?" Rose asked slyly, grinning at her brother.

Tony nodded emphatically.

"Guess I'd better go get changed, then," Rose told her brother, straightening up.

**~StormWolf10~**

Forty five minutes later, Pete Tyler was setting the dining table for dinner while Jackie rounded up their two children and the Doctor. However, as he heard Jackie calling for them in the garden, he decided to go and help, knowing that Tony would most likely try hiding. However, what Pete found waiting for him in the garden was not what he had expected. Jackie had already succeeded in rounding the Doctor, Rose and Tony up, and the three of them were stood in a line. However, Rose had red and blue face paint streaked on her cheeks, much like the Doctor and Tony, and all three of them had dirt smudged all over them. All three were still bare foot, and Rose was now wearing a pair of denim shorts and an old vest top, a red bandana the same as Tony's and the Doctor's tied round her head.

"What on Earth have you three been up to?" Jackie asked, hands on hips.

The Doctor, Rose and Tony all glanced at each other, looking rather sheepish.

"Uh, playing?" the Doctor suggested, trying out a disarming smile.

Jackie just shook her head while Pete chuckled.

"Come on, dinner's almost ready. Go get yourselves cleaned up." Pete told them, still laughing slightly.

As the three dirt-streaked 'Lost Children' trudged past him, Pete caught Jackie's eye and grinned.

"Face it love," Pete told his wife as he slipped an arm round her waist and led her back inside "you wouldn't have it any other way."


	12. What's in a name?

**A/N: So, this chapter sees the return of Arthur Williamson, and a lot of 10.5/Rose :) Also, the character of Rory is based on my very lovely friend, who just insisted on being Arthur's boyfriend. This chapter is dedicated to my amazing friends over on Gallifrey Base, who helped with the characterisation of Arthur, one of which is the amazing SpyDalek here on ffnet. Check him out!**

Lungbarrow: What's in a name?

"Doctor, glad you could make it. Have a seat," Pete announced, gesturing at the chair in front of the desk.

Cautiously, the Doctor slid into the seat, never taking his eyes off of Pete, who was leaning against his large desk.

"Do you know why I called you in here, Doctor?" Pete asked, his tone worryingly neutral.

"We-ell...No," the Doctor admitted, beginning to panic slightly.

_Have I done something wrong? I don't think I've done anything wrong. Well, I got my Field Team lost in North London the other day, but we all got back alright...What if it's not about work? What if it's Rose. Is Rose alright? Has something happened? I bet it's the clothes, no one likes these clothes. I told Rose that jeans and t-shirts were a bad idea...Maybe I should go back to suits..._

The Doctor was startled out of his rambling internal monologue by Pete talking.

"Well, this is a little awkward, but it's your name." Pete explained, grimacing slightly.

"I- I'm sorry?" the Doctor replied, frowning in confusion.

"As you're well aware, there is a member of Rose's Field Team called Jonathon Curtis, and what with you _also_ being called Jonathan, it's getting a little confusing," Pete continued, shrugging.

"Right," the Doctor chipped in, still unsure where this conversation was going.

"And because of this, I wanted to ask you if it's alright for you to go by 'Theta' while you're working at Torchwood. Out with Tony and Jaqs and me, you'll still be Jonathan, but it'd just be easier here at work."

"Oh, umm, yeah that's fine, after all, what's in a name?" the Doctor replied, letting out a breath he wasn't aware he had been holding.

Pete smiled.

"Great! We'll need to make you a new ID card, but I can bring that home tonight for you. You might as well get going now, and tell Jackie I'll be home by six."

The Doctor nodded and left the room.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Ah, Jonathan!"

The Doctor looked up to see Arthur hurrying towards him, with some other man he didn't recognise.

"Hi, Arthur, where's Rose?"

"Oh, she's just coming," Arthur replied, grinning.

Unlike the first time they'd met, Arthur was dressed in smart jeans and a plain black, tight fitting t-shirt rather than a suit, which was standard issue for any public Torchwood events that weren't Field Missions. The man with Arthur cleared his throat purposefully.

"Ah yes, Jonathan, this is my partner Rory. He came by to pick me up; we're off out for dinner, it's our six month anniversary," Arthur explained, rolling his eyes good-naturedly.

The Doctor grinned, and shook Rory's hand. Rory was roughly an inch taller than the Doctor, and about three inches taller than Arthur, and had dark brown hair and glasses. Of course, the Doctor had heard about Arthur's partner, and had known for months that he was gay, but it had been the first time he'd actually seen him.

"So, you're Jonathan Lungbarrow then?" Rory asked, grinning back.

The Doctor shrugged. "Not for long," he replied.

Arthur frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Because it's getting too confusing, what with me and Jonathon Curtis sharing a first name, Pete's asked if I can be 'Theta' whilst working Torchwood hours," the Doctor explained.

"Huh, so I have to call you Theta now?" Arthur asked, smirking.

The Doctor nodded.

"You're Rose's friend, right?" Rory piped up suddenly.

The Doctor just stared at the man, while Arthur chuckled.

"I think they're a lot more than _friends_, Ror," Arthur told his partner grinning devilishly.

"Well, we're…We're…" the Doctor spluttered, struggling to find the right word to describe his and Rose's relationship.

"Yeah, been there, mate," Arthur told him, smirking as he clapped the Doctor on the shoulder. "See you tomorrow, _Theta_."

"Yeah," the Doctor replied as Arthur and Rory walked away "yeah, ok…"

**~StormWolf10~**

"Rose," the Doctor began carefully, picking at the deep blue rug that covered a large portion of the tree house floor.

"Mmm?" Rose replied, not looking up from the newspaper she was flicking through.

"I've been thinking,"

"Uh-oh," Rose chipped in good-naturedly "that's never a good sign!"

The Doctor pouted, causing Rose to giggle.

"Anyway, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted," the Doctor continued haughtily, grinning "I've been thinking and, really, there's not much to a name, is there?"

Rose finally looked up from the newspaper, frowning.

"Where is this going, Doctor?" she asked, watching him carefully.

"Well, earlier, I was chatting to Arthur, and it occurred to me that I had no idea what to call you. I mean, are you my girlfriend? Partner? Lover? What?" the Doctor exclaimed, arms flailing slightly as he spoke.

Rose blinked.

"Doctor, we've been sat up in this tree house for thirty-five minutes, after you said that you wanted to 'talk quietly' and dragged me up here! And in case you hadn't noticed, but it _is_ the end of September, not exactly 'tree house weather'!"

The Doctor blinked owlishly at her.

"Sorry?" he offered quietly.

Rose sighed, giggling slightly as she moved to rest her head on the Doctor's shoulder.

"Anyway, what were you saying?" Rose asked quietly.

"Well, as I said, earlier, I had no idea what to call you- us- and, well, it was all rather frustrating. And, like I said, there's not really much to a name, that's all it is, something someone calls you. And you've been a Tyler for the last 24 years, I was just thinking that maybe it's time for a change…"

Rose sat up abruptly at that.

"Doctor," Rose began slowly, unsure "are you proposing to me?"

"Err….Yes?"

Again, he'd managed to make what should have been a statement sound like a question. The pair of them just stared at each other for several moments, before the Doctor's eyes widened and he started rooting around in the pocket of his jeans. After a slight struggle, he succeeded in pulling a small velvet-covered box out, which he handed to Rose. Speechless, she opened it, and found a modest, but stunning, diamond ring nestled in the velvet.

"Is it alright?" the Doctor asked nervously, watching Rose cautiously.

Rose nodded mutely, still stunned. Eventually, however, she found her voice.

"When…When did you get this?" Rose asked quietly.

"I've had it a while," the Doctor admitted, rubbing the back of his neck like he always did when he was nervous.

"It's beautiful," Rose breathed, meeting the Doctor's gaze for the first time since he'd handed her the ring.

She moved to slip it out of the box, when the Doctor stopped her.

"Let me," he said quietly.

The air in the tree house suddenly felt thick, and Rose found herself holding her breath as the Doctor took the ring from the box and slipped it on her finger. This was the moment a six year old Rose had spent nights dreaming of, that fairytale moment that she'd been sure would never happen to her. Gazing down at the diamond ring that now sat on the ring finger of her left hand, Rose found herself blinking away the tears. Then, quickly, she pushed herself onto her knees and captured the Doctor's lips in a passionate kiss. When they finally broke away, they sat grinning at each other.

"It's a perfect fit, too," Rose mused, gazing at her ring again.

The Doctor scratched the back of his neck again.

"Yeah, I sort of borrow one of your other rings to get the sizing right," he admitted, flushing slightly.

Rose laughed.

"Ah well," she replied, before adding "So does this mean I'll be Rose Lungbarrow?"

The Doctor nodded, and Rose wrinkled her nose up at that.

"What?" the Doctor asked, slightly offended.

"Nothing, Doctor, nothing at all," Rose replied quickly, shifting herself to sit between his legs, her back to his chest.

As Rose leant against him, the Doctor wrapped his arms around her.

"So now what?" Rose asked after a few moment of silence "We gonna move into a four bedroom house with a white picket fence and a cat, with you off rounding up Weevils with Torchwood while I raise two children and be a good little housewife?"

The pair of them chuckled at the image.

"Somehow, I don't think our life's gonna work out like that," the Doctor admitted, grinning.

"Nah," Rose agreed "you'll be raising the kids while I'm off stopping an alien invasion,"

The Doctor frowned while Rose grinned at him cheekily.

"Seriously, though," Rose continued, turning to look at him properly "what happens now? We've been living with my parents for 7, nearly 8 months, we probably need to start considering moving out."

The Doctor nodded, and was about to reply when they heard Jackie calling for them.

"Come on, my dear fiancée, let's go see what your mother wants," he announced, helping Rose stand.

"Ooh, I like the sound of that!" Rose admitted, grinning.

"What, seeing what your mother wants?" the Doctor asked with feigned ignorance.

"No!" Rose answered, punching him on the arm "The 'fiancée' part,"

"I like the sound of it too," the Doctor admitted, grinning back "and I like 'my wife' even better!"

Rose smirked.

"Come on, my darling _fiancé_, let's get inside," Rose announced, beginning to climb out of the tree house.

"My god, your mother's going to be unbearable when we tell her, isn't she?" the Doctor realised, eyes wide as he followed Rose down the rope ladder.

"Uh huh," Rose called up, having reached the ground already "it's gonna be a long evening."

"Oh god!" the Doctor moaned, feigning immense pain as they set off across the garden to the back door.

"It'll all be worth it, though, yeah?" Rose asked, looking up at the Doctor.

The Doctor didn't miss the slight fear in Rose's eyes, and he quickly ducked down to kiss her.

"It certainly will," he replied, grinning.


	13. Engagement Party

**A/N: Another chapter! This one is set a week after the last. Remember to read and review!**

Lungbarrow: Engagement Party

Jackie Tyler had, of course, been ecstatic about her daughter's engagement. Almost as soon as she'd received the news she was planning both the wedding and the engagement party. Pete, however, had been much more reserved (although Jackie had confirmed later that once the Doctor and Rose had headed up to bed, he had immediately started writing out lists of designers to design his wedding suit) and merely pulled out a bottle of expensive champagne. That had been a week ago, and now the Tyler Mansion was full of family and friends for the Doctor and Rose's engagement party. Neither of them had particularly wanted an engagement party, but Rose was hoping that if she let her mother do this, Jackie would be more agreeable in giving them a small, understated wedding. And so, that was how the Doctor had found himself stood in the dining room of the Tyler Mansion, smiling gratefully at the guests and shifting from foot to foot to try and stop his new leather shoes from rubbing. Sighing as yet another Vitex Executive headed over to congratulate him, the Doctor realised it was going to be a long night…

**~StormWolf10~**

Once all the guests had arrived, the Doctor found that he could retreat to the safe little circle of Torchwood employees he had become friends with over the past seven months. Rose was already there, chatting away with them, her back to the Doctor. He quickly sneaked up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist. Rose jumped, but automatically settled into his embrace, ignoring their friends' smirks.

"Looking very smart, Jonathan," Donna told him, smirking.

The Doctor grinned. Jackie had forced him to buy a new suit for the occasion and, after he downright _refused_ to wear a tuxedo- mixed with this house, he didn't think it'd be a good idea, something Pete had whole-heartedly backed him up on- he had decided on a black suit and matching tie.

"Jackie wouldn't let me wear my converses!" he complained, earning himself chuckles from his circle of friends.

"Seriously though, congratulations mate," Owen announced, leaning forward to clap the Doctor on the shoulder.

For the first time since the beginning of the party, the Doctor felt safe; in his circle of friends of Donna, Ianto, Gwen, Owen and Tosh, as well as Rose's Field Team Jonathon Curtis, Jake, Libby Mays, and Arthur, who had brought along Rory, the Doctor couldn't have been happier.

"Well come on then, show us your ring, Rose!" Libby piped up suddenly, causing Jonathon to roll his eyes.

"You've been asking to see it all week!" Jonathon pointed out, sighing.

"Yeah, but not with this dress!" Libby protested, causing all the girls to laugh.

"Tell you what though," Arthur piped up, eyes darting around the room "it's all very…_posh_. I feel rather under-dressed, this isn't really my scene."

Indeed, this was the first time, other than Torchwood work, that the Doctor had seen Arthur in a suit; outside of work, he was your classic hipster, opting to wear skinny jeans and jumpers.

"Blame Mum," Rose told her friend, pulling a face "even I feel under-dressed. I think even _Dad_ feels under-dressed,"

"Well I'm not bothered, gives me a reason to splash out on a new dress and shoes," Donna chipped in, grinning.

Just then, the adults' conversation was interrupted by little Tony appearing between Rose and Donna. Standing proudly between the two women, Tony straightened his suit jacket, evidently very proud of himself.

"Hello there, Tony, you got yourself a new suit?" Donna asked, lifting the little boy into her arms.

"Uh huh," Tony announced, grinning "Mummy brought it for me 'specially!"

This earned the three year old a lot of '_awww_!'s from the women, and a fist-bump from Jake and Arthur. Indeed, Tony was wearing a brand new black suit and dark green tie; his usually wild hair tamed and slicked back.

"What are you doing over here, Private?" the Doctor asked, almost certain that Jackie had told them Tony would be with her all night.

"Hidin' from Mummy," the little boy answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why are you doing that?" Rose asked, frowning and glancing around the room for her mother.

However, all she could see was a lot of posh people in suits, many of which were actually business associates of Pete's (and, truth be told, Rose and the Doctor had no idea what they were doing there, as they'd never even met half of them).

"Mummy's drinkin' a lot of water," Tony replied seriously, shifting in Donna's arms.

The group of friends all looked at one another, rather confused.

"Forgive me, but why would your brother hide from your mother because she's drinking _water_?" Rory asked, perplexed. Although he was now good friends with the Doctor and Rose, he still hadn't met Jackie and Pete very much.

"He wouldn't," Rose replied, frowning. Then, realisation dawned on her "…Unless it's _not_ water…"

And with that, she slipped from the Doctor's embrace and hurried across the dining room. The adults all glanced at each other, realising that, most probably, Jackie had been at the vodka. Little Tony, however, was oblivious.

"Donna, why haven't you been round recently? I've missed you!" Tony announced indignantly, glaring at his sister's friend.

It took 2.5 seconds for the adults to start laughing.

**~StormWolf10~**

Several hours later, Tony was in bed and the majority of guests had left, leaving only Jackie (who was, as Jake had put it, pissed), Pete, the Doctor, Rose, Arthur, Rory, Libby, Donna, Jake, Jonathon, Gwen, Ianto, Owen and Tosh. While the friends chatted happily, Pete had brought out a crate of lager, which had been downed quickly and was the sole reason why the Doctor, Arthur, Owen and Jake had dragged out Pete's old karaoke machine and were belting out 'Bohemian Rhapsody' with their ties around their heads, while an equally drunk Rory sat on the floor in front of them, conducting their efforts. Jackie was asleep in a chair and Gwen had snapped a heel on her shoe, while Tosh, Libby and Donna were swaying in time to the music and Rose filmed the entire thing on her phone. Eventually however- but not after Jake had belted out 'All by myself' before bursting into tears-, Pete stood up and suggested that it was time for them to call it a night. He called taxis for everyone, helped Arthur manoeuvre the now-sleeping Rory into the taxi, did the same for Tosh with Owen and finally bid them goodnight. With their work colleagues now safely in the back of taxis and heading home- although, if Donna and Gwen carried on singing that loudly, Pete suspected they'd be left at the roadside- it was time for them to turn in for the night. The Doctor was more than a little upset that the party was over, as Rose had to drag him away from the karaoke while he frantically tried to finish singing 'Don't stop me now'. Finally, the mansion was quiet once more.


	14. Making Our Own Way

**A/N: Chapter 14 now up! I also have a poll up on my profile about a possible 'Lungbarrow Adventures' series. Please check it out and vote.**

Lungbarrow: Making our own way

It was the beginning of October, eight months since Bad Wolf Bay, and the Doctor was stood nervously outside the sitting room at the Tyler Mansion. Glancing at Rose, who was stood beside him, he took a deep breath and they entered the room together. Pete and Jackie were sat on one of the sofas watching TV, having just put Tony to bed.

"Um, Mum?" Rose began nervously, reaching down to grasp the Doctor's hand.

"Yeah, sweetheart?" Jackie asked tiredly, not even looking.

"The Doctor and I wanted to talk to you two about something," Rose admitted, biting her lip.

Pete glanced at his daughter over Jackie's head, noticing hers and the Doctor's worried expression.

"Take a seat, you two," Pete told them, gesturing at the other sofa.

The Doctor and Rose slid into the empty sofa, still gripping each other's hands tightly.

"Well go on then, spill," Jackie prompted as Pete switched the TV off.

"We're moving out," the Doctor announced boldly, hoping they couldn't tell how nervous he was.

"Oh, right," Jackie murmured, visibly deflating.

"Now come on, Jaqs," Pete reminded his wife gently "we knew this would happen sooner or later,"

Jackie nodded, although still looked rather miserable.

"Have you found anywhere yet?" Pete asked, one hand on his wife's back.

The Doctor and Rose shook their heads.

"We'll most likely get an apartment, but we can't find anything we like in our current price range," Rose explained, shrugging.

"Oh, well we'll help with that!" Jackie announced excitedly, nudging Pete, who nodded.

"With all due respect, Jackie, Pete, Rose and I have decided that we'd like to make our own way in life and that includes buying our own apartment. The pay at Torchwood is in no way modest, and I'm sure we'll be able to afford our idea apartment soon, we just need to save some more." The Doctor explained, and Rose squeezed his hand reassuringly.

Once again, Jackie seemed to deflate, and Rose felt absolutely horrid for it.

"Mum, we're sorry, and we're not doing it to upset you, it's just something we need to do on our own. You understand, yeah?" Rose tried desperately, moving forward so she was sat only on the edge of the sofa.

Jackie sighed, but nodded.

"So," Pete announced quickly, keen to break the morbid atmosphere "where were you thinking for the apartment?"

The Doctor shrugged.

"Probably near Torchwood, we were considering those new high-rise apartment blocks on the river." The Doctor explained.

As Pete, the Doctor and Rose continued talking about apartments, Jackie smiled politely and nodded every now and then, determined not to let them see how much she was breaking inside.

**~StormWolf10~**

The Doctor made a little sound that sounded suspiciously like a whimper. Eyes narrowing, Jackie glared at him.

"An' what's the matter with you?" she demanded, poking him in the chest.

"Nothing!" the Doctor squeaked quickly "Absolutely nothing!"

"Mum, leave him be," Rose complained, rolling her eyes as Jackie huffed.

The Doctor relaxed slightly as Rose crossed to his side, but he still wasn't convinced about the apartment they were currently viewing.

"What's the matter?" Rose asked him gently, pulling him to one side.

The Doctor glanced at Jackie and Pete- who were talking with the estate agent- before replying.

"It's…There's…I…" the Doctor struggled to find the words, his breathing harsh and fast.

"Woah, calm down, yeah? If you don't like the apartment you can just say. Jus' take some deep breaths and calm down," Rose told him gently, one hand rubbing his arm soothingly.

After several deep breaths, the Doctor composed himself, and he hastened to start his explanation again.

"There's…There's too many walls, Rose," he admitted quietly.

Rose frowned.

"What do you mean?" Her tone was gentle, soothing, and not at all demanding.

The Doctor sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"There's too many walls to…To stop me from seeing you,"

"Doctor," Rose pointed out kindly "you've coped well enough in the Mansion, an' there's lots of walls there. At Torchwood, too."

The Doctor shrugged.

"Yeah, but at Torchwood, I'm there to work, and half the time I'm so busy sorting out some alien invasion or something that the day's passed in the blink of an eye. And at the Mansion, we're always in the same room as one another, or we're playing with Tony…" the Doctor trailed off and stared at his feet.

Rose slipped a hand into his and began dragging him back over to her parents and the estate agent.

"Decided yet?" Pete asked as they appeared at his side.

Rose shook her head and turned to the estate agent.

"I don't suppose you have anything that's more open plan? With less walls?" Rose suggested.

**~StormWolf10~**

"So," Rose announced as she spread out the paperwork she'd gotten from the estate agent all over the sitting room floor "we've narrowed it down to these three apartments,"

"And you're sure you can afford them? Because we don't mind helping-" Jackie began.

"No, Mum, we've already told you. We're making our own way. We have enough to buy an apartment and furnish it; we don't need you to lend us any money!" Rose reminded her Mum, beginning to grow annoyed.

Rose then nudged Marmalade and Smoky out of the way as they skittered across the paperwork now strewn on the floor. As she set to work reorganising the paperwork, she didn't notice Pete enter the room.

"See, I like the first apartment," the Doctor admitted, pointing towards the first stack of paper.

Rose glanced at the photos and nodded. "Yeah, I liked that one too; you wanna call the estate agent?"

The Doctor shrugged.

"If that's the one you want," the Doctor replied.

"You two have decided then?" Pete asked, sitting beside Jackie on the sofa.

The Doctor and Rose glanced at each other for a few moments before nodding.

"Yeah, we have," they announced, both grinning.

**~StormWolf10~**

Later that night, Jackie couldn't sleep. In the end, Pete sat up and switched the light on, fed up of Jackie's tossing and turning.

"What's up, Jaqs?" he asked tiredly.

Jackie looked up at her husband.

"This is really happening, isn't it? They're moving out…" Jackie whispered.

All Pete could do was hold his wife as she sobbed.


	15. Moving Out

**A/N: So, in this chapter, the Doctor and Rose settle into their new apartment, and they discover that Tony didn't cope with Rose's 'Dimension Hopping' as well as they'd thought**

Lungbarrow: Moving Out

Tony clung to his big sister's legs, screaming. Rose sighed and lifted her brother up, sitting him on her hip.

"Hey, come on now, Private, you'll still get to see us!" Rose reminded her brother gently.

Tony sniffed and buried his head in Rose's neck.

"But I don't want you and the Doctor to leave! Don't leave, please!"

Before Rose could answer her brother, Jackie took him, cuddling him close.

"Tony, we've talked about this, sweetheart. Rose and the Doctor may be moving to this apartment but you'll still see them! They're coming to your birthday party next week!" Jackie told her son.

But still, Tony was in tears. Pete and the Doctor had been busy moving cardboard boxes to the necessary rooms in the apartment, but now they faltered, not knowing what to do about Tony. The Doctor caught Rose's eye, and she nodded, clearly understanding his questioning look.

"Tony," the Doctor piped up "why don't you come with me; I've got something to show you."

The three year old's attention was grabbed. Leaning back in his mother's embrace, he wiped his tears and looked at the Doctor suspiciously.

"What is it?" Tony asked cautiously.

"Ah, that would be telling, wouldn't it?" the Doctor replied, smirking.

Slowly, Tony slid from Jackie's embrace and shuffled across the laminate flooring of the sitting room, taking the Doctor's outstretched hand. Tony glanced at his big sister, who nodded encouragingly. The Doctor then led Tony down the apartment's small corridor, heading towards the front door. But instead of heading outside, the Doctor pushed open the door to the box room- the study- and nudged Tony inside. There, against the wall and parallel to the Doctor's desk and chair, was a single bed with a light blue duvet cover. Tony looked up at the Doctor in confusion and the Doctor crouched in front of him.

"This bed is for you, Tony, when you come to stay," the Doctor explained.

Tony grinned and promptly flung his arms round the Doctor's neck.

"Is it ok?" the Doctor asked as Tony pulled away.

The little boy nodded eagerly.

"Wanna go tell your Mum and Dad then?" the Doctor suggested, straightening up.

Tony was already hurrying out of the room.

**~StormWolf10~**

Several hours later, the Doctor's and Rose's possessions were scattered throughout the apartment. Over the past nine months, the Doctor had accumulated a number of books, pictures and nick-knacks which now filled the study. The photos from Rose's old bedroom lined the hallway, as well as several new ones of her and the Doctor, taken at events such as their engagement party and Arthur's Halloween party, as well as several of them and Tony that had been taken on various days out. Tony's drawings were stuck with magnets to the large fridge in the kitchen and- although the Doctor and Rose had both refused the idea of having children (or, at least any time soon), Jackie and Pete wouldn't have been surprised had the couple announced that Rose was expecting. She wasn't, of course, but the apartment looked so much like the home of a young family, that the thought had crossed Jackie's mind several times now.

**~StormWolf10~**

Dinner was full of laughter. In the end, they'd been too exhausted to cook, and so they had sent the Doctor out for chips. They ate in front of the TV, the adults chatting, Tony watching a children's TV channel and Smoky sniffing around his new home in confusion. Seeing that he had his own little bed at the Doctor's and Rose's apartment had cheered Tony up immensely, and the little boy had spent the majority of the afternoon playing with the cardboard boxes. However, when it came for Pete, Jackie and Tony to leave, the three year old promptly burst into tears again.

"Come on, Tony, you'll see us next week for your birthday! And, if you're really good, maybe Mummy and Daddy will let you sleep over Saturday night, yeah?" Rose told her brother, hugging him close before straightening up again.

"But what if you have to go away again?"

Tony spoke so quietly that the adults only just heard him.

"What do you mean, Tony?" Jackie asked as Rose frowned in confusion.

"When Rose went to get the Doctor back." Tony answered, sniffing "She just went and then you went too and Daddy said that Rose might not come back with you, and Rose couldn't say goodbye to me because it happened fast."

Indeed, Rose realised, the Dimension Cannon had locked onto the correct time stream so unexpectedly that she'd had to leave immediately, never getting the chance to explain everything to her younger brother.

"That's not going to happen again, son," Pete told his son gently.

Tony shook his head.

"But you said it was a…a emergency!" Tony reminded his family, a look of great pride on his face as he managed to say the last word. The smile faded, however, as he continued "What if there was another emergency and you went and you got hurt an'…an' you never came back an' I didn't get to say goodbye an' I never got to see you an' tell you I love you?"

The little boy's wide eyes were swimming with tears now, as were Rose's.

"I know, sweetheart, but it won't happen again. You'll see the Doctor and Rose at the weekend," Jackie announced to her son, lifting her into her arms.

"We're not going anywhere, Tony," the Doctor chipped in seriously, ruffling the boy's hair "I promise."

Rose nodded in agreement, moving forward to take her brother from Jackie.

"I'm really sorry for that, Tony, but I swear it'll never happen again, ok. I don't need to go anywhere; you and the Doctor and Mum and Dad are all right here, and you're all I need," Rose informed Tony, huffing him close.

Tony returned the hug, crying into his big sister's shoulder.

**~StormWolf10~**

Later that night, the Doctor and Rose were curled up together in bed, staring at the dark ceiling.

"I had no idea Tony had taken it so badly when I used the Dimension Cannon," Rose admitted suddenly.

Guilt coloured her voice, and the Doctor sighed.

"Rose, it wasn't your fault. Even if you'd explained it to him he wouldn't understand," the Doctor pointed out gently.

"I know, but he thought I'd disappear and die!"

Rose was growing hysterical.

"But like your parents told Tony, it's never gonna happen again, Rose," the Doctor reminded her.

Rose looked unconvinced.

"No?" she asked "Even though we risk our lives daily thanks to Torchwood?"

The Doctor scrubbed a hand over his eyes tiredly.

"I won't let anything happen to you, Rose. Never. I promised your little brother that neither of us is going anywhere, and I mean it" the Doctor murmured.

Rose found she had no answer to that.


	16. Tony Tyler's Fourth Birthday

**A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates, guys. I have the next few chapters planned (up to chapter 27) before I'm out of ideas. Any suggestions for plot ideas will be gratefully received! Perhaps more Torchwood? More family time? I don't know! Review and tell me!**

Lungbarrow: Tony Tyler's fourth birthday

A bright red balloon sticker marked the date on the calendar pinned to the kitchen wall, along with Jackie's neat handwriting stating 'Tony 4' underneath the sticker. It was November 7th and Jackie was putting the finishing touches to the buffet for the party. Pete was in the sitting room with Tony and a handful of Tony's friends, attempting to keep them entertained while the children asked when they were having cake.

"Mummy, when are Rose and the Doctor getting here?"

Jackie looked down to see Tony staring up at her expectantly, wearing a replica Slytherin robe and- for some reason- a pirate hat.

"Soon, sweetheart. Why don't you go back in the sitting room and play with Jacob, Oscar and Hayden?" Jackie replied, smiling at her son.

Tony watched her for a few more seconds before nodding and leaving the room. Jackie sighed. The Doctor and Rose were nearly half an hour late, and Jackie swore she was going to throttle one- or both- of them when they did eventually wander through the front door. Indeed, just as Jackie was taking the food through to the dining room, she heard a bang on the front door. Quickly depositing the plates on the polished wood of the dining table, Jackie hurried to answer it. Flinging the door open, Jackie saw her daughter and the Doctor stood on the doorstep, both looking more than a little guilty.

"You're late!" Jackie declared, stepping back to let them into the mansion.

Rose didn't meet her mother's eyes, instead choosing to focus her attention on little Tony, who had come running out of the sitting room.

"Hello there, Private!" Rose explained, swinging her brother up onto her hip.

Tony giggled and hugged Rose tight before asking "Did you bring me a present?"

"Tony!" Jackie berated the four year old while the Doctor and Rose laughed.

"Sure did, the Doctor's got them," Rose told the boy, setting him on his feet again.

Tony began dragging Rose to the sitting room, yelling for the Doctor to follow. As the adults took seats in the sitting room, Jackie leant across to the Doctor and Rose.

"Don't think this is over. We'll talk later," Jackie told them lowly.

The Doctor audibly swallowed before turning back to Tony and plastering on a manic grin. Rose also looked a little worried, but she occupied herself with pulling several wrapped presents out of the holdall the Doctor had been carrying.

"Right, here you go, Tony!" Rose announced as she put the presents on the floor and Tony virtually pounced on them.

As Tony's friends- Oscar, Jacob and Hayden- gathered round to see what he'd been bought, the Doctor sat on the edge of the seat, seemingly nervous. As Tony ripped off the wrapping paper, his face lit up, and both Jackie and Pete breathed a sigh of relief; the present was not some kind of weird alien technology like they'd expected from the Doctor, but rather a remote control car. Tony eagerly moved on to the next two presents, which was a set of Mr Men books and a Toy Story duvet cover. Finally, Tony came to the last present and, just before he tore into it, Rose stopped him.

"The Doctor picked this one for you, yeah, so you've gotta be extra careful or you'll break it, ok?" Rose told her brother, not missing the worried expressions now etched on her parents' faces.

Tony nodded and flashed a grin at the Doctor before slowly peeling back the wrapping paper. The little boy's eyes went wide and his friends gasped. Nestled in a pile of bubble wrap was a small silver dome. Kneeling on the floor beside the stunned children, the Doctor lifted the silver dome from the protective layer of bubble wrap and showed it to Tony. Pressing a button on the bottom, a beam of light suddenly erupted from the top of the dome and cast constellations of stars on the ceiling and walls.

"See, Tony? This button turns it on and it'll cast stars on your bedroom ceiling. Like a nightlight, yeah?" The Doctor explained, grinning at the boy.

Tony nodded distractedly, gazing up at the stars in awe.

"Thank you!" Tony announced suddenly, flinging his arms around the Doctor's neck.

The Doctor hugged him back, grinning.

**~StormWolf10~**

The rest of the afternoon was spent entertaining Tony and his three friends- something the Doctor excelled at- and by the time it was four o'clock, the buffet Jackie had prepared was gone and the now rather tired children had just been collected by their parents. Tony was busy playing with the remote control car the Doctor and Rose had bought him in the sitting room while the four adults washed up the dishes in the kitchen. Almost as soon as the kitchen was cleared up, Jackie rounded on the Doctor and Rose.

"So? Why were you two late?" Jackie demanded, hands on hips.

"We…We lost track of time," Rose muttered, not looking Jackie in the eye.

Jackie gasped.

"Oh, I know exactly what you two were doing!" Jackie snapped angrily.

Pete laid a reassuring hand on this wife's shoulder, but it did little to calm her.

"Really, Rose, I'd have thought that you'd have known better! What were you going to tell your brother if he asked? Tell him that you were _off_ _doing this one_?" Jackie asked furiously, gesturing at the Doctor, who flushed red.

"Jaqs," Pete warned quietly.

"Mum, it wasn't like that!" Rose protested, stepping forward so she was toe-to-toe with her mother. "If you must know, the Doctor was finishing off Tony's present! He wanted to get it right for him."

Jackie gaped for several seconds before rounding on the Doctor instead.

"Is this true?"

The Doctor nodded furiously. "Look, I just wanted to get the holo-dome right for Tony, I wanted to give him something special, but it took me ages to track all the right parts, and then I had to re-modify it so that it would switch off automatically once Tony was asleep, that it wouldn't overheat or be easily damaged if he dropped it! I wasn't gonna give him something that would break if he accidentally knocked it off the shelf, I know how upset he gets if one of his toys breaks."

Jackie gaped for a few more moments before replying quietly.

"Oh…Umm, thanks then. And…err, sorry about just now,"

Rose rolled her eyes and left the kitchen while Jackie and Pete finished putting the dishes away. The sitting room was suspiciously quiet, and Rose wondered what her brother was up to. When she reached the doorway, however, she realised; Tony was curled up fast asleep on the sofa. Smiling gently, Rose crossed to his side and knelt beside the sofa, kissing her brother on the forehead.

"Happy birthday, Tony," she whispered.


	17. Let it Snow

**A/N: It's CHRIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSTMMMMMM MMMASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! :P**

Lungbarrow: Let it Snow

"Mummy, Mummy, Mummy!"

Jackie, the Doctor, Pete and Rose all turned around as Tony ran into the sitting room, slightly breathless as he threw himself into Jackie's arms.

"What's the matter, Tony?" Jackie asked worriedly.

"It's snowing! Can I go outside?" Tony announced, grinning.

Jackie breathed a sigh of relief while Pete chuckled.

"Well, is it even laying?" the Doctor asked as Pete crossed the room to look out the window.

It was December twentieth, and- if Tony was right and it was laying- it was the first snow of the year.

"Seems like it," Pete admitted, turning to face his son.

Tony was staring up at his Dad expectantly. Pete sighed.

"Well, go on then, go grab your coat!"

Tony ran over and hugged Pete's legs tight before running out of the room to get his coat, grinning all the while. Jackie sighed and pushed herself to her feet.

"Guess this means we'll have to go out too?" she asked her husband.

Pete grinned.

"It won't be for long. Ten, fifteen minutes," he told her, offering Jackie his hand and leading her from the room.

The sitting room was silent for a few long moments before the Doctor spoke.

"You wanna go out?" the Doctor asked Rose quietly.

Rose looked at him in surprise, and shrugged. The Doctor was about to speak again when Tony came running in, tripping over the Doctor and Rose's coats before throwing them at them. Rose and the Doctor laughed and obediently picked up their coats while Tony watched, tapping his welly-clad foot impatiently.

"Looks like we'll be going out anyway!" Rose announced, standing up and pulling her coat on.

"Come on, Rose! Come _on_!" Tony yelled, tugging his sister out the room.

The Doctor followed, and was surprised to see that the front garden and drive had a substantial amount of snow on it- already, it was up to little Tony's knees. He quickly crossed a portion of the garden to stand beside Pete.

"Looks like it's laying thick and fast," Pete noted, evidently seeing the Doctor's shock.

The Doctor was about to answer when something cold and wet hit him between the shoulder blades. Pete chuckled, and the Doctor turned slowly to see little Tony stood a way off, a snowball clutched in his gloved hand. Tony giggled, and the Doctor wasn't at all surprised to see Rose and Jackie behind the four year old, also laughing.

"Oh, this is war!" the Doctor growled good-naturedly.

Tony screamed as the Doctor pounced towards him, a snowball already in his hand.

**~StormWolf10~**

"D'you wanna put the carrot on for the nose, yeah?" Rose suggested.

Tony nodded eagerly, and Rose lifted him up so he could- very carefully- stick the carrot into the head of their snowman. Grinning as his sister lowered him back to the ground, Tony looked up at the Doctor expectantly.

"Is that any good, Doctor?" Tony asked, eyes wide.

The Doctor grinned and nodded at the boy.

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant, Tony!" the Doctor enthused.

Tony grinned again. Suddenly, Jackie and Pete appeared in the doorway.

"Come on, you three! You've been out here hours now!" Jackie called.

Tony immediately pouted, folding his arms and stamping his feet (which wasn't very effective thanks to the rather deep snow).

"Now come on, Tony," Pete called warningly, making to head over.

"Come on, Private," the Doctor announced, swinging the boy up onto his shoulders, earning him a smile and a giggle from the four year old.

As the Doctor and Rose stepped into the entrance hall, clumps of snow fell from their shoes, certain to melt on the tiled floor. Tony slid from the Doctor's shoulders and sat on the floor, tugging off his Toy Story wellies before pulling off his coat, hat and gloves.

"Can I play in the snow again tomorrow, Mummy?" Tony asked suddenly.

"If it's still snowing, yes," Jackie answered absently, hanging up Tony's coat.

**~StormWolf10~**

Forty minutes later, Tony was in a pair of dark blue plaid flannel pyjamas in front of the fire, sipping at a mug of hot chocolate (which, despite the name, was only warm due to how young Tony was) while the adults were tucked up on the sofas, all drinking hot chocolate. Now warm again, little Tony was beginning to nod off, having eaten his tea and settled down with Marmalade on his lap. Smoky was curled up on the Doctor's lap as the Doctor and Rose were staying at Pete and Jackie's for the Christmas period, and the two kittens had seemed very happy to be reunited. Eventually, Tony fell asleep on the rug, and Pete took him up to bed. The adults drifted up to bed a few hours later, just before eleven. Rose and the Doctor stifled a laugh as they wandered past Tony's bedroom to hear a little voice singing.

"_The weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful, and since we've no place to go, let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!"_


	18. The Doctor's Unlucky Tuxedo

**A/N: New chapter! Please continue to read and review, folks!**

Lungbarrow: The Doctor's Unlucky Tuxedo

"What do you mean 'we're snowed in!'?!" the Doctor yelled as he paced the floor, hands in his hair.

"We're snowed in, Doctor," Pete repeated calmly "the snow's coming down too thick and fast for us to drive back to the Mansion."

"Well, what do we do?" the Doctor asked, rounding on Pete, who was leaning against his desk.

"We wait until the snow dies down," Pete answered simply.

The Doctor sighed and dropped into one of the plush chairs opposite Pete's desk, tugging at his bowtie.

"It's this damned tuxedo! I told Jackie it was unlucky!" the Doctor muttered.

Pete chucked and shook his head. Indeed, the Doctor had spent several hours earlier that day trying to convince Jackie that he and tuxedos didn't mix. Ironically, the tuxedo had been for the Christmas Eve party at the Tyler Mansion, an event that was now cancelled thanks to the snow blizzard. The party had been cancelled and the Doctor had just been ready to change and spend Christmas Eve in front of the fire with Rose when Pete had gotten an urgent call from Toshiko. The Doctor and Pete immediately agreed to go and check out the strange alarm Tosh had picked up from Torchwood, and both were astounded to find that the 'strange alarm' was nothing more than the hi-tech burglar alarm on a crashed space pod they had in storage. And now, thanks to the weather, they were stuck there.

"Well, I suppose now we have the time for a chat. Father to son-in-law, eh?" Pete suggested.

The Doctor swallowed. Rose would kill him if he let anything slip…

**~StormWolf10~**

"Ok…Yeah, I understand, love...Yeah, yeah...Just stay safe, ok? Love you,"

Jackie hung up the phone, sighing.

"What was that about?" Rose asked, Tony cuddled on her lap.

"Your father and the Doctor are stuck at Torchwood, too much snow," Jackie replied as she sat down on the opposite sofa.

Rose stood suddenly, only just managing to catch Tony as he slid off her lap.  
>"What?!" Rose squeaked "When will they be back?"<p>

"When the snow stops," Jackie answered, lifting Tony onto her lap "I'm sure they'll be back by tomorrow."

Rose could hear the false cheer in her Mum's voice, and forced herself to remain calm, for Tony's sake.

"But…What will they do?" Rose asked, sinking back onto the sofa.

"Oh, don't worry about them, love. Your Dad's quite looking forward to it, in fact! Said that they'll finally have the time for a nice, long chat!" Jackie announced, grinning.

Rose paled visibly.

"Oh, no…" she murmured, forgetting her Mum was in the room altogether.

"Rose?" Jackie asked, frowning.

She got no response from her daughter. Tony was happily watching some old Tom and Jerry cartoons on TV, so Jackie shifted him from her lap and stood. She pulled Rose from the opposite sofa and dragged her from the room.

"We won't be long, Tony," Jackie called back to her little boy.

**~StormWolf10~**

"So…Umm…Anything you want to talk about?" Pete asked.

Why was this so hard? He'd been waiting to talk with the Doctor for weeks and now, when an opportunity had finally presented itself, he was struck mute! Speaking of struck mute, the Doctor merely shrugged in reply to his question.

"Are you and Rose ok?" Pete continued.

The Doctor looked up at that, shocked.

"We're fine! Why?" the Doctor answered, genuinely puzzled.

"Well, it's just that, the other day when Tony made us go outside when it was snowing, you and Rose took a rather long time to come out with us," Pete reminded him.

The Doctor took to extensively studying his shoes.

"Doctor?" Pete prompted, knowing from experience that when the Doctor went quiet, it meant something was wrong.

"I promised Rose I wouldn't say anything," the Doctor mumbled, continuing to examine his shoes.

"What do you mean, Doctor?" Pete asked, beginning to get rather nervous at the Doctor's quiet, evasive attitude "Is Rose alright?"

"Oh, she's fine. She's fine…" the Doctor assured him quickly, flashing Pete a smile.

"Then what's all this 'I promised Rose I wouldn't say anything' about?" Pete questioned, sitting beside the Doctor.

"Whatever you do, you can't tell Jackie, ok?" the Doctor replied quickly.

Pete looked sceptical, but reluctantly nodded. He had to know.

"Well, the thing is with Rose is that…"

**~StormWolf10~**

"What?!" Jackie shrieked, pacing the kitchen furiously.

Rose stood nervously in the middle of the kitchen, suddenly feeling rather young and vulnerable again.

"How could you be so careless, Rose?! I thought I raised you better that that!"

Rose opened her mouth to reply, but it seemed Jackie was on a roll now.

"I mean, you're twenty-five years old! You have your whole life ahead of you! You've virtually just gotten settled into that new apartment of yours, and now you'll have to totally change it all, possibly even move again!"

"Mum, I'm sorry, alright?!" Rose cut in suddenly.

Jackie stopped instantly, turning to face her daughter.

"I know, we should have been more careful, we should have discussed it. But we didn't, and what's done is done now. We only found out I was pregnant yesterday anyway, an' we weren't gonna tell you yet," Rose admitted quietly.

"You…You weren't gonna tell me?" Jackie asked, all fight knocked from her. She leant against the kitchen counter heavily, stunned.

"Oh, not like that, Mum!" Rose insisted, rushing to Jackie's side "It's just, the Doctor and I, we agreed not to say anything until after Christmas. We were gonna tell you on New Year's Day; I'd be three months gone by then,"

"But…The apartment! I mean, the office is nowhere near big enough for a crib and everything you need for a baby! You can just about fit the desk, a few bookshelves and a little bed for Tony in there!" Jackie reminded her daughter, eyes wide.

Rose sighed heavily.

"Yeah, well, we've not quite figured that one out yet," Rose admitted "we hadn't really planned kids; I didn't think I'd want them, an' it wasn't until I thought I was pregnant that I realised how much I wanted them," Rose admitted.

"Oh, Rose," Jackie sighed, tugging her daughter in for a hug.

"Jus'…Jus' don't tell Dad yet, ok?" Rose mumbled into her Mum's shoulder.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Wow," Pete murmured.

"You can't tell, Jackie, remember?" the Doctor reminded him seriously "Rose won't be happy with me telling you!"

"I know, I know…Jaqs…Jaqs is gonna be really….Wow," Pete stuttered, still not sure what to make of the situation.

"I know. I'm hoping to have sorted out our little 'box room' problem by then," the Doctor admitted, sighing.

"I'm gonna be a Granddad!" Pete murmured, his face splitting into a grin.

"Yeah," the Doctor replied, grinning suddenly "and I'm gonna be a Dad!"


	19. Christmas Day

**A/N: Chapter 19…Read and Review!**

Lungbarrow: Christmas Day

Tony poked his head around the bedroom door, watching the sleeping figures under the duvet as he clutched his stocking in one hand. He slipped through the gap and padded across the floor. One of the figures stirred, and Tony stilled instantly.

"Hello, Tony," Rose mumbled sleepily, watching her little brother staring at her.

"It's Christmas Day, Rose!" the little boy announced quietly.

Rose grinned as her little brother tried to stay quiet because of the Doctor, who was still asleep next to her. She slowly sat up in bed, and Tony scrambled up to sit beside her.

"Are Mum and Dad still asleep?" she asked as Tony emptied the contents of his stocking onto the duvet.

The four year old nodded absently, before looking at his presents and looking up at his sister with wide eyes.

"Go on, open your presents. But you're not opening any of your big ones until Mum and Dad are up, ok?" Rose told him, ruffling his blonde hair.

Tony nodded and eagerly began tearing into the wrapping paper hiding the new toys from his view. As wrapping paper was scattered across the bed, the Doctor woke, sitting up and rubbing his eyes before staring at Tony pointedly.

"Mummy and Daddy don't like me waking them up too early," Tony told the Doctor matter-of-factly, happily playing with a newly-unwrapped toy car.

The Doctor glanced at the alarm clock on Rose's side of the bed, and his eyes widened when he saw that the time five thirty am. He nudged Rose, and nodded towards the alarm clock. Rose, however, shook her head slightly and went back to watching Tony opening his stocking fillers.

**~StormWolf10~**

"How long have you three been up?"

Rose and the Doctor both turned round to see Pete and Jackie leaning against the doorway in their dressing gowns.

"About four hours, give or take," the Doctor replied, leaning back against the sofa.

Tony was on the floor playing with several little toy cars and a toy aeroplane from his stocking. Jackie sighed.

"Tony, I did say I didn't want you getting up before eight!" she reminded her son.

Tony turned to look at his parents, and announced innocently "You said not to wake you and Daddy before eight. So I woke Rose and the Doctor!"

Jackie rolled her eyes as Pete, the Doctor and Rose laughed.

**~StormWolf10~**

Christmas dinner was, for want of a better word, chaotic. Tony refused to put his toy aeroplane down, which led to Jackie confiscating it. The Doctor and Pete were desperately trying to pretend that their conversation at Torchwood the night before hadn't happened (the Doctor really didn't want to get yelled at by Rose on Christmas Day…), while Jackie and Rose did the same. However, Jackie had never really been any good at subtle, and Rose had had to deliberately cut in several times over dinner to stop Jackie blurting something to Pete about Rose being pregnant. After dinner, they headed back into the sitting room to relax while Tony insisted on watching Peter Pan (to which Jackie sighed and complained that he must have seen it a thousand times).

"Can I go make a snowman?" Tony asked as the film finished.

"Only if you don't mind going out on your own, Private," Pete told his son.

Tony nodded eagerly and hurried off to get his coat. Jackie helped her son with his coat and wellies and saw him outside. When she returned to the sitting room, there was an uncomfortable silence. They sat like that for several minutes before Pete finally broke the silence.

"What was going on at dinner, Jaqs, Rose?"

Both women looked at him in shock. Then, catching each other's eyes, they shook their heads, shrugged and muttered "Nothin',".

"It clearly is something. What's up?" Pete continued.

"Yeah, is something bothering you?" the Doctor chipped in, frowning.

"Everything's fine. Jus' leave it," Rose told them sharply.

The Doctor sighed and pulled her closer so she could lean against him. Pete, however, just looked between his wife and daughter sceptically. Jackie sighed, and looked to Rose, unsure what to do. Reluctantly, Rose nodded.

"Rose…Rose told me somethin' last night. Somethin' she didn't want you to know," Jackie admitted.

"An', I'm sorry, Doctor, but I told Mum, an' I suppose I should tell you, Dad. The thing is…Well, I'm pregnant." Rose added shyly.

The Doctor and Pete looked at their respective partners, then each other, then back again before beginning to laugh.

"What?!" Jackie and Rose demanded, both shocked and confused.

"I told Pete last night, when we were at Torchwood," the Doctor explained, laughing "and we've been trying to keep it secret all day!"

"So…You already knew?" Jackie asked her husband, confused.

Pete nodded, still laughing slightly.

"I wondered why you two were acting so awkward at dinner," Rose mused.

**~StormWolf10~**

The rest of Christmas Day was uneventful, if more relaxed. Tony kept the four adults on their toes, of course, insisting on the Doctor playing cars with him, getting Rose to read his new storybook to him, and just generally clambering onto his parents' laps from time to time, only to sit there fidgeting. Eventually, it was time to put the now rather tired four year old to bed, but before that could happen, there was a knock on the door. Rose smiled knowingly, but refused to let on to her confused parents. As Pete went to answer the door, Tony followed, and Jackie realised- for the first time in about ten minutes now- that the Doctor was missing.

"Where's the Doctor gone?" she asked Rose, frowning.

Rose grinned. "Oh, you'll see," Rose replied cryptically.

Before Jackie could answer, there was a shriek of delight from Tony, and she hurried out to the entrance hall, Rose following at a more leisurely pace. Upon seeing the figure in the doorway, Jackie grinned and hurried off to find her camera, claiming "I have to get a photo of this!". Even though Rose had been in on the whole plan, she still found herself grinning madly and laughing. Pete, for the best part, looked rather amused and shocked.

"Rose! It's Santa!" Tony yelled, dragging his sister over to the doorway.

Then, the four year old began looking around wildly, and Pete frowned.

"Who you looking for, Private?" Pete asked his son, confused.

"The Doctor! He's gonna miss Santa!" Tony replied as if it were obvious.

Rose just about managed to stifle a laugh at that, keen not to give anything away. From the doorway, 'Santa' (who, if Tony had been looking properly, looked remarkably like the Doctor with some cushions shoved up his jacket) caught Rose's eye and grinned behind his false beard.

"Found it!" Jackie announced, hurrying to the door with her digital camera in her hands "Jus' let me get a photo!"

'Santa' rolled his eyes and winked at Tony, who grinned at him. Once Jackie had taken a dozen or so photos, 'Santa' knelt in front of Tony, and pulled something out of the sack he was carrying.

"Now, Tony, I heard that you lost your favourite bear recently," 'Santa' announced.

The three adults just about managed to stifle a laugh at 'Santa's booming voice. Tony nodded mournfully.

"Well, I'm afraid I couldn't find an exact replacement for Toffee, but how's this?" 'Santa' continued, pulling a cream-coloured teddy bear from behind his back.

Tony gasped and reached for the bear, hugging it tight before hugging Santa.

"Thank you, Santa!" Tony announced, grinning from ear to ear.

"You're welcome, Tony," 'Santa' replied, grinning as he straightened up.

"Say goodnight to Santa then, Tony, you've got to get ready for bed," Jackie told her son, still laughing slightly.

Reluctantly, Tony waved goodbye to 'Santa' as Jackie led him upstairs to put his pyjamas on. As soon as Tony was out of sight, 'Santa' sighed and tugged the beard off while Pete shut the front door.

"You could have warned us you were doing that, Doctor," Pete told him, although he was still grinning.

"We-ell," the Doctor began, grinning.

Pete laughed and shook his head, turning to Rose.

"And I assume you knew all about this?" Pete asked.

Rose nodded.

"We bought the bear weeks ago, just after he lost Toffee, but then Tony said he wanted to see Santa, and, well, one thing led to another…" Rose admitted, trailing off.

There was a noise from upstairs, and the Doctor began tugging the Santa costume off desperately, worried Tony would come back down while he was still wearing the costume. Within a minute, the Doctor was stowing the costume away in a cupboard in the corner of the entrance hall, leaving him in just a pair of skinny jeans and a long sleeve top. Just then, Tony came barrelling down the stairs, dressed in plaid flannel pyjamas and clutching his new teddy bear.

"Doctor! You missed Santa!" the little boy yelled as he barrelled into him.

The Doctor grinned and lifted the boy into his arms.

"Did I? Why didn't you call me?!" the Doctor asked the boy, mock affronted.

"Santa couldn't stay long," Tony replied seriously "and Mummy's got photos anyway!"

The Doctor sighed, pretending to be upset.

"I suppose that'll have to do, then," he told the boy, setting him back on his feet.

"You off to bed now, Private?" Rose asked as her brother hugged her.

Tony nodded sadly.

"Mummy said I have to," he replied quietly.

Rose dropped a kiss on her brother's forehead before replying "Well, it is getting rather late,"

Tony then kissed Pete goodnight before heading back up to bed, where Jackie was waiting to tuck him in. Pete headed to the kitchen to make hot chocolate while the Doctor and Rose settled themselves in the sitting room again. They curled up on the sofa, watching TV without really paying attention to it. Eventually, Rose spoke.

"You're gonna be a great Dad," Rose told the Doctor quietly as she leant against him.

And , that was how Pete and Jackie found the couple, several minutes later, fast asleep.


	20. New Year's Eve

**A/N: Chapter 20. And I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! :')**

Lungbarrow: New Year's Eve

Jackie Tyler bustled around the dining room, making some final adjustments to the flower arrangements and strategically avoiding the catering staff she'd employed for tonight's party as they laid out the buffet. Tonight was the New Year's Eve party they hosted every year, for Vitex businessmen and Torchwood employees alike. Tony had begged and pleaded not to wear his suit, and so was dressed instead in his grey school trousers and shoe, and a plain white shirt. Pete was wearing his usual black suit and the Doctor and Rose were presumably still getting ready. Jackie sighed as she remembered that Rose had sworn her and Pete to secrecy about her pregnancy- not even Arthur and Donna knew yet, and that's the way Rose wanted it. As the doorbell rung, Jackie glanced at the clock and saw that it was, indeed, quarter past eight. She hurried to see to the first of the guests, her black evening gown sweeping behind her.

**~StormWolf10~**

The party was in full swing now, and it was just gone nine o'clock. Tony was following Donna around eagerly, telling her all about his Christmas presents and how Santa had come to visit (Jackie had, of course, made the little boy thank Donna for the big colouring book and felt tips she had bought him) while Pete mingled with a smattering of Vitex businessmen. Jackie spotted the Doctor (in his suit, not his tux, not after last time he wore it) hiding in the corner of the dining room with Arthur, Rory, Tosh and Owen, but Rose wasn't there. Just as Jackie began heading over to him, ready to query him on the absence of her daughter, the Doctor pulled his phone out of his pocket, answering an incoming call. He suddenly looked very panicked, and began heading towards the entrance hall. Determined, Jackie picked up her pace and intercepted him.

"And where are you going? Where's Rose?" Jackie demanded, hands on hips.

"That…That was Rose on the phone. She's…She's having a wardrobe malfunction," the Doctor announced hurriedly, slipping past Jackie.

Before Jackie could follow, she felt a little hand tugging at her dress, and looked down to see Tony staring up at her expectantly.

"Mummy," Tony announced suddenly "I'm hungry!"

**~StormWolf10~**

The Doctor and Rose finally reappeared at about ten o'clock, all smiles and laughter, although anyone who knew them knew that they were pretending. Rose was wearing a lot of makeup, Jackie noted, a lot more than she usually did, almost as if she were trying to cover something up. But she seemed alright, laughing and joking with Arthur and her friends from Torchwood. The Doctor's hand was wrapped tight round Rose's waist, holding her flush against him. Occasionally Jackie saw them talking with some of Pete's co-workers at Vitex, but as midnight drew closer, she found it harder to keep an eye on them; Tony was becoming tired, the guests were becoming more excitable and Pete was flitting from guest to guest chatting with them. Eventually, Jackie managed to pull her husband to one side.

"Do you think Rose is alright?" Jackie asked her husband worriedly.

"I'm sure she's fine, Jaqs, probably just a bit tired,"

However, Pete's attempts to reassure his wife fell flat.

"I knew I shouldn't have gone through with this stupid party!" Jackie muttered, concern colouring her voice "Ever since Rose told me she was expecting, well, nothing's ever normal with them two…She's probably exhausted,"

"Now come on, Jaqs, the party's almost over. Everyone will be leaving soon, and they can get to bed," Pete replied, squeezing his wife's shoulder gently.

If Jackie replied, he didn't hear it as the guests began the countdown to New Year. Pete couldn't help but grin as he spotted a tired but happy Tony on Arthur's shoulders, joining in with the countdown.

"10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

The noise was deafening as everyone began cheering and hugging, while Arthur, Rory, Owen, Tony Donna and a few other Torchwood employees started belting out 'Auld Lang Syne' at the top of their voices.

**~StormWolf10~**

The last of the guests finally left just before one, and, to Pete and Jackie's surprise, the Doctor and Rose were waiting in the sitting room for them. Tony was finally tucked up in bed and Jackie couldn't wait to crawl into her bed. However, upon seeing her daughter and the Doctor in the sitting room, she realised that this may be a way off.

"We…Umm..We have something to tell you," the Doctor began quietly, standing up.

His face was pale and drawn, and Jackie knew from experience that this wasn't caused by tiredness. It was caused by grief. She sank into the nearby sofa, shock settling over her as the Doctor began to speak.

"You may have…Um, well, you may have noticed earlier, Rose missed the beginning of the party. I told you she was having a wardrobe malfunction. I'm sorry I had to lie to you, Jackie, but in the middle of the party wasn't the place to tell you…"

"I lost the baby, Mum," Rose announced quietly, suddenly.

Pete sunk onto the sofa, shocked, as Jackie merely stared at her daughter.

"I..Uh..I started bleedin'," Rose explained quietly, leaning into the Doctor's embrace as he sat beside her again "that's why I called the Doctor up. It…It was a miscarriage. I didn't realise at first, of course, but…Well, let's just say that it became obvious,"

Jackie's eyes fluttered shut as she took a deep breath.

"Oh, sweetheart," Jackie whispered, hurrying to her daughter's side.

Rose let her Mum hug her tight for a few moments before she gently extracted herself from Jackie's grip.

"'s ok, Mum. Really. We…We talked about it earlier and, well, we're ok with it. We're gonna keep trying, but at least this way we'll have time to sort out the apartment and stuff," Rose announced, although her voice was wavering.

It was clear that she was trying to put a brave face on for her parents' sake.

"I think…I think we're gonna turn in for the night. Love you," Rose told her parents suddenly, gripping the Doctor's hand tight as she led him from the room.

**~StormWolf10~**

That night, there were five people in the Tyler Mansion. And four of them were wide awake the entire night.


	21. Happy Clone Day

**A/N: New chapter. Set about six weeks after the last chapter. Read and Review :)**

Lungbarrow: Happy…Clone Day?

The Doctor awoke that day to feel Rose's breath in his ear. He was lying on his side, but quickly rolled over to find Rose half-laying on top of him, a welcome, pleasant weight on top of him. She grinned at him- that grin that made him think improper thoughts- and then, far too soon for his liking, Rose pulled away and sat up.

"Do you know what today is?" Rose asked, tongue between her teeth.

The Doctor shook his head, more interested in staring at her tongue than answering her question.

"Doctor?" Rose prompted, laughing slightly.

"I don't know, Rose, just tell me," the Doctor answered, still staring at her mouth.

"It's your birthday!" Rose answered, grinning. She then quickly added "Well, the day you were cloned, I suppose,"

The Doctor finally met her eyes, his own eyes wide with shock.

"My…My birthday?" he asked.

Rose nodded nervously. She then let out a sigh of relief as the Doctor grinned.

**~StormWolf10~**

Unfortunately, it being the Doctor's 'birthday', Jackie had insisted that he and Rose came to the Mansion for the day. Even though it was a Friday, Rose had managed to book the day off for herself and the Doctor, and Pete had also taken the day off to spend it with his family. From the moment they arrived at the Tyler Mansion, Jackie was being…well, _Jackie_. Upon stepping foot in the entrance hall, Jackie was smothering them in hugs and kisses. Tony came bounding out of the sitting room, barrelling into his sister and proceeded to tell her everything that had happened to him at nursery- Tony had started nursery the previous September at Jackie's insistence, although he only attended it three days a week on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. This meant that he'd had an uneventful morning to get excited about his sister and the Doctor coming round. After several minutes, however, they managed to relocate to the sitting room, and the Doctor was shocked to see a pile of presents in there on the coffee table.

"Happy birthday, Doctor!" Jackie announced, grinning.

For once, the Doctor was speechless, unable to understand why they'd bought him so many presents.

"These…These are for me?" he asked eventually, pointing at the presents.

Jackie and Pete smirked, and Tony nodded eagerly, wriggling out of his sister's embrace to tug the Doctor over to the table. Almost as soon as the Doctor was sat on the sofa, Tony began grabbing presents and thrusting them at him, saying things like "this is from Mummy and Daddy!" and "I picked this for you!".

**~StormWolf10~**

Lunch was buffet-style snacks, as Jackie was cooking a big dinner that evening. Marmalade was skittering around, occasionally jumping onto people's laps for a cuddle while the adults talked and Tony drew. The Doctor had been astounded at how much Jackie and Pete had spent on his presents; they had bought him several new pairs of converses and some science technology books he'd been looking at, equating to almost £300. Rose had bought him an iPad and had already set it up and downloaded several apps for him. However, it was Tony's present that the Doctor loved most- it was a plain white mug that Tony had painted himself so that it read 'the Doctor's mug' in wobbly bright blue handwriting. Of course, when Jackie had made them all a cup of tea, Tony insisted that the Doctor used his new mug, which the Doctor agreed with whole-heartedly.

**~StormWolf10~**

Later that evening, once Tony had been put to bed, both Rose and the Doctor could tell that Jackie was itching to ask them something. Something that neither of them really wanted to discuss, but they knew that they'd have to tell Pete and Jackie eventually.

"Go on, Jackie," the Doctor sighed, smiling weakly "ask away,"

"Are you sure?" Jackie asked nervously "It _is_ your birthday,"

"Nah, it's alright," the Doctor replied, grinning disarmingly "and technically, it's my Clone day,"

Everyone chuckled slightly at that, but the mood quickly turned sombre again.

"H- Have you two found out what made you miscarry yet?" Jackie asked quietly.

Both Rose and the Doctor shook their heads awkwardly, clearly not really wanting to think about it.

"Well," Pete chipped in optimistically "hopefully it's just one of those things, and it won't happen again. Besides, it was- what? - six weeks ago?"

Everyone nodded, but the silence that soon followed was awkward.

"Anyway," Rose piped up suddenly "doesn't matter. We're…We're not ready for kids yet, I mean, we'd have to look for a new apartment, there's work to consider; I mean, we really can't afford to move again- we could only just afford the apartment we've got now with _both_ our salaries!"

"Rose," Pete told his daughter gently, leaning forward in his seat "we've been through this before; your Mother and I will be more than happy to give you the money for a bigger apartment,"

However, Rose shook her head vehemently.

"Have you told Tony yet about…you know," the Doctor asked suddenly.

Jackie shook her head, sighing.

"We're still trying to work out how to explain it to him," Jackie admitted quietly.

**~StormWolf10~**

Eventually, the Doctor and Rose decided to call it a night and head home. For most of the drive back to their apartment, they were silent, but as they pulled into the underground car park at their apartment block, the Doctor couldn't keep quiet any longer.

"Rose," he piped up "are you sure you're ok with…With the miscarriage?"

"Yeah, 'course," Rose replied, climbing out of the car.

However, the Doctor watched her sceptically as Rose wouldn't meet his eyes.

"You don't seem ok," the Doctor continued as they headed over to the lift and up to their apartment floor.

"Honestly, I'm fine with it. Besides, we're not ready for kids right now," Rose answered, looking anywhere but him.

As soon as they entered the apartment, Rose insisted she was tired and headed off to bed, leaving the Doctor alone. Defeated, he sunk onto the sofa, sighing.

"Happy birthday me," he muttered.


	22. We Are Family

**A/N: Ok, chapter 22…Please review and give me more ideas for this story- I only have 5 planned chapters left and then I'm stuck for ideas, which means less updates..**

Lungbarrow: We Are Family

It had been two months since New Year and, by extension, two months since Rose's miscarriage. In that time, the Tyler family had attempted to continue as normal. Both Rose and the Doctor had insisted on not telling any of their friends or colleagues of the miscarriage as they didn't want any sympathy or special treatment from them, and it would only lead to a dreaded question of "do you know what caused it?" The question was dreaded for one very good reason; they didn't know the answer.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Dad, I don't need a medical exam," Rose protested yet again.

She was hurrying down the corridor after her father, struggling to keep up with him.

"It's only been eight weeks," she reminded him quietly as she managed to catch up as Pete turned the corner "and it was probably just one of those things, yeah? No need to worry, I'm fine."

Pete quickly led his daughter along the corridor to his office, not answering Rose until they were safely behind the closed door of his office.

"Rose, please just get yourself checked out," Pete begged, watching his daughter carefully.

"I..." Rose began, but Pete cut her off.

"Don't say that you're alright, Rose, because I know you're not. The Doctor told me that you keep brushing him off whenever he tries to ask if you're alright, and your Mother said that you admitted to her that you really want kids. You're far from fine, and your Mum and I are worried about you," Pete admitted quietly, shrugging.

They descended into an awkward silence, Rose refusing to meet her Dad's eyes.

"I don't want Owen or Arthur knowing about this," Rose replied eventually "it'll raise too many questions."

Pete nodded in understanding. Of course, this meant that he'd have to find another Torchwood medic that Rose trusted enough to let them examine her, but he understood that it would be awkward for the medic- who was also her close friend- in her own Field Team to examine her so Arthur was out, and seeing as Owen was in the Doctor's Field Team and was also a friend, it would be too awkward with him too.

"I'll set an appointment up then, yeah?" Pete suggested, already reaching for his phone.

**~StormWolf10~**

Rose was sat on one of the beds in the Torchwood Infirmary, gazing around nervously and fiddling with the hem of the scratchy medical robe she'd had to wear for the examination. She was glad that the Infirmary was set up as a series of private rooms rather than a communal ward- at least she had less chance of having to answer any of her colleagues' awkward questions. Suddenly, the door swung open with such a force that Rose jumped. There, in the doorway, panting and looking like he'd run a marathon, was the Doctor. He immediately hurried over to the bed and pulled Rose in for a hug.

"Your Dad told me he'd finally gotten you to agree to an examination," the Doctor murmured.

"And you decided to run back from your Field Mission?" Rose asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nah," the Doctor answered "we were already on our way back,"

"You didn't tell anyone, did you?" Rose asked worriedly.

The Doctor shook his head.

"Don't worry, only us, your Mum and Dad know." The Doctor reassured her, kissing Rose on the forehead.

"And Doctor Howell," Rose pointed out quietly.

"Well, yes, and Doctor Howell," the Doctor conceded.

Just then, Doctor Howell entered the room. Doctor Howell had worked at Torchwood since before Rose had worked there, and had helped Rose after several Field Mission injuries. She was the only Torchwood medic, other than Owen and Arthur, that Rose trusted enough to perform the examination, and the only one of the three that wouldn't raise awkward questions.

"Hi, Rose," Doctor Howell announced, smiling reassuringly "we have the results from your examination back,"

"And?" the Doctor and Rose asked quickly, eyes wide.

"It looks like there was nothing that could have been done to prevent the miscarriage; it was most probably due to a problem with the foetus, as you don't smoke or do drugs. However, did you have any alcohol or over 200 milligrams of caffeine a day in the days leading up to the miscarriage?" Doctor Howell asked.

Rose bit her lip.

"Well, I know I didn't drink any alcohol and I cut down on caffeine when we found out I was pregnant, but I was about a month gone when we found out…" Rose trailed off, eyes wide "Oh my god! Was it my fault?"

Rose looked close to tears at this thought, and both the Doctor and Doctor Howell rushed to reassure her.

"Rose, it's not like we drink regularly, since you became pregnant we must have had, what, half a bottle of wine between us? I'm sure it's not the alcohol!" the Doctor reminded her gently, tugging her in for a hug.

"As I said," Doctor Howell chipped in, smiling sympathetically "it was most probably due to a problem with the foetus. I doubt it was anything you'd done, Rose,"

Rose nodded reluctantly, leaning against the Doctor's chest.

"I'll leave you to get dressed and get back to work," Doctor Howell told them.

Once she'd left the room, Rose slid off the table and quietly began to slip her clothes back on.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Tony, sweetheart, your Daddy and I need to talk to you," Jackie began cautiously.

Tony looked up from where he'd been sprawled on the floor, drawing. Unsure, he pushed himself to his feet and crossed the sitting room to the sofa his parents were sat on.

"Have I done something bad?" Tony asked nervously as he sat down on the sofa between his parents.

"No, Private, you've done nothing wrong," Pete assured his son, smiling softly "it's about your sister,"

"Is Rose ok?" Tony asked, wide-eyed.

"She's fine, sweetheart, but do you remember a few weeks ago at the New Year's Eve party? She and the Doctor spent quite a long time upstairs on their own. That was because Rose was feeling poorly."

"Why did Rose feel poorly? Is she ok? Is she better now?" Tony was frowning now, his gaze flitting from his Mum to his Dad and back again. His worry for his older sister was overwhelming, and Jackie felt tears well up in her eyes.

" Rose was going to have a baby, you see, but it wasn't growing properly, and that's what made her feel poorly." Pete explained, reaching round Tony to rub his wife's back "Because of this, Rose and the Doctor aren't having the baby now, because it wasn't able to grow."

"Is that why Rose and the Doctor haven't been round very much? And why they're so sad?" Tony asked curiously.

Pete and Jackie shared a glance over their son's fluffy blonde hair before nodding at the four year old. Just then, the doorbell rang, and Pete extracted himself from the sofa, heading to answer the door. Jackie remained on the sofa with Tony, hugging the little boy to her. However, when they heard the Doctor and Rose's voices in the hallway, Tony scrambled off the sofa and ran into the entrance hall, barrelling into his sister's legs. Rose lifted the four year old onto her hip, and Tony tugged the Doctor over to join them in an awkward three-way hug while an emotional Pete looked on.

"Love you, Rose. Love you, Doctor." Tony murmured, giving them both sloppy kisses on their cheeks.

The two adults chuckled and went to head into the sitting room with Tony. However, the Doctor was suddenly stopped by Pete.

"We've told Tony," Pete told the Doctor quietly.

The Doctor nodded.

"I figured as much, what with that hug and kiss just now," the Doctor replied, smirking.

Pete smiled back, but neither man's smile met their eyes.

"Look, I know that Jaqs and I have been a bit preoccupied with Rose throughout all this, and I'm sorry. How are you coping?" Pete asked softly.

"Me? I'm always alright!" the Doctor replied.

Pete scoffed.

"Come on, Doctor, you've lived here for just over a year now. You're practically my son in law already, and I know you better than that. We both know that whenever you say that you don't really mean it," Pete reminded the Doctor gently.

The Doctor sighed and looked away.

"Jonathan," Pete continued kindly, causing the Doctor to look up in shock at the use of his 'human' name "if you ever need to talk about anything- and I mean _anything_- just come and find me, ok? I'll be happy to help."

"You really mean that?" the Doctor asked, wide-eyed in shock.

Pete nodded, smiling slightly.

"Of course I do. After all, _Jonathan_, we are family," Pete replied.


	23. How the Doctor and the Easter bunny

**A/N: New chapter finally! Please continue to review the story, it lets me know if you are still enjoying it!**

Lungbarrow: How the Doctor and the Easter Bunny saved the Earth

It was April 2nd, and Easter was fast approaching. This, of course, meant a rather hyper Tony running around as he pretended not to be searching for his Easter eggs. This also meant a rather hyper Doctor running around as he pretended not to be helping Tony search for those aforementioned Easter eggs. Jackie was- surprisingly- relieved at this, and Rose supposed it was because she didn't have to run around after Tony if the Doctor was keeping the little boy occupied. It at least gave Jackie some time to talk to her daughter; Rose had finally recovered as much as possible from the miscarriage, and the Doctor and Rose had confirmed to Pete and Jackie that they were trying for a baby. However, it seemed that Rose was still wearing a forced smile, and was evidently hiding something from her parents. And so, while Pete and Jackie had a quiet talk with Rose in the large kitchen, the Doctor finally settled Tony down in the sitting room.

"We didn't find a single Easter egg!" Tony complained, arms folded across his chest, sulking.

The Doctor grinned.

"That's probably because you look for them every year, your Mum knows where to hide them!" the Doctor pointed out to the four year old, sitting beside him.

Marmalade jumped onto Tony's lap, purring as the little boy reluctantly unfolded his arms to stroke the kitten's fur.

"What do we do now?" Tony asked suddenly, pouting "Mummy and Daddy are still talking to Rose,"

The Doctor hummed in agreement, obviously deep in thought. And then he had an idea.

"Tony," the Doctor began "did I ever tell you about how the Easter bunny and I saved the Earth?"

Tony looked up suddenly, brown eyes wide and curious. The little boy shook his head, evidently interested.

"Well then," the Doctor announced cheerily "looks like it's story time!"

**~StormWolf10~**

"Hang on!" Tony chipped in suddenly, frowning at the Doctor "Are you saying the Easter bunny's a alien?"

The Doctor nodded.

"Yes, he is! And I'll have you know that his name is Fergus. The Easter bunny is merely his occupation, and a part-time one at that!" the Doctor replied haughtily "He hates it when people refer to him as his job title."

"But we call you 'Doctor'. That's a job," Tony pointed out innocently.

The Doctor blinked owlishly at the four year old.

"I suppose you're right," he conceded.

They descended into silence for a few moments.

"So what did the Easter bunny- I mean _Fergus_- do?" Tony asked curiously.

"Well, Fergus bumped into me on his way to get help, and he explained to me about how he'd overheard Jack Frost plotting to freeze the Earth and all its inhabitants. So, Fergus and I gathered up a few of the local villagers, crafted a plan to catch old Frost-y pants and set off into the forest to find the evil little sprite," the Doctor explained proudly.

"An' then what?" Tony asked, eyes wide as he knelt up so he was eye-to-eye with the Doctor, bouncing slightly on the sofa.

"Well, we managed to surround and capture him in a little jar, where he stayed while I had a little chat with him. Eventually, he agreed to leave Earth, and I took him home in the TARDIS, but it set poor Fergus' evening back several hours so I helped him distribute all the Easter eggs!"

"So Jack Frost was gonna freeze the planet?" Tony asked, wide-eyed still.

The Doctor nodded.

"What would have happened if Fergus hadn't found you?" Tony asked, brow furrowing.

The Doctor shrugged, rubbing Marmalade's head as the kitten jumped onto his lap.

"I'm sure everything would have worked out fine," the Doctor assured the four year old "those villagers were rather threatening on their own, and Fergus is one smart Terragidson rabbit!"

"So you really saved the Earth with the Easter bunny?" Tony concluded, grinning.

The Doctor grinned back and ruffled his hair.

"Uh huh, and if you're really good and really quiet come Easter, you might get to meet Fergus yourself!" the Doctor told the little boy.

Tony beamed in delight.


	24. Surprise!

**A/N: Not entirely happy with this chapter, but it's the best I could do…Hopefully more chapters should be up soon.**

Lungbarrow: Surprise!

Rose woke up to find the not unpleasant weight of her fiancée on top of her. Cracking one eye open, she was greeted with the Doctor's beaming face, all bed hair and slight stubble, and she couldn't help but grin. Having a vague recollection of waking the Doctor herself in a similar fashion on his 'birth' day, Rose stretched slightly before leaning up and stealing herself a kiss.

"Good morning beautiful," the Doctor greeted her, grinning.

"Not looking too bad yourself," Rose countered, tongue between her teeth.

The Doctor leant down and kissed her gently before rolling off her body and standing up. Grumbling slightly, Rose allowed herself to be tugged from the bed.

"It's my birthday!" Rose complained "Can't I even have a lie in on my birthday?"

"Unfortunately not," the Doctor told her, leading her towards the bathroom "we've both got work today, and you know we can't skive off. We do, however, have time for a shower,"

Rose laughed as the Doctor waggled his eyebrows at her, and she tugged him towards the shower with her.

**~StormWolf10~**

Work was, as usual, demanding that day, and by the time she met the Doctor to drive home (Pete had bought them a little blue Clio that, for some reason, the Doctor insisted they called Bessie II), Rose was exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to curl up on the sofa and sleep for several days, but at the same time, couldn't help but wonder if the Doctor was planning something; after all, it was her twenty sixth birthday. However, she had received no hints throughout the day, although had gotten cards and gifts from some of her friends like Arthur and Donna, although they seemed as oblivious as Rose herself about whether the Doctor was planning something. They were just heading down to the car park when the Doctor's phone went off.

"Hello, Pete, what's-" the Doctor began, but was evidently cut off.

Rose looked up at him in concern as the Doctor sighed heavily before nodding in defeat.

"Yeah, ok. We'll come round now, we're just about to leave Torchwood," the Doctor answered glumly. And with that, he shut off the phone.

"What's the matter?" Rose asked, concerned.

"It's Tony," the Doctor told her, hurrying them towards the car "he's insisting that we go round and see him so he can give you your present."

"Well, that's ok, not like we were doing anything else, right?" Rose asked, clambering into the car.

"I had planned for us to spend a nice quiet evening in alone. Watch one of your favourite movies, have a nice meal, that sort of thing," the Doctor replied, already pulling out of the parking space "but your brother's driving your parents mad, so we'll have to postpone our evening,"

**~StormWolf10~**

When they reached the Tyler Mansion, Rose climbed out of the car, biting her lip as the Doctor followed a little slower. It was obvious that he was upset his plans for her birthday had been ruined, but ever gracious, the Doctor had insisted that they went to see Tony.

"We won't stay for long, ok? Just half hour or so," Rose told the Doctor gently.

He nodded, smiling weakly.

"I just…I wanted today to be perfect," he admitted quietly "I mean, last year we just kind of…_skipped_ your birthday. We still had a nice dinner and stuff, but that was when we were living here with your parents, and I wanted this year to be special. It was the first birthday you've had where we're an actual couple, with actual jobs and an apartment together. I wanted it to be…fantastic,"

"And it will be," Rose assured him, tugging him down for a quick kiss.

When they pulled away, they saw that the door still hadn't been opened. Sighing, Rose knocked again.

"You'd think that Tony would be sitting on the other side of the door waiting for me to turn up!" she muttered.

The Doctor smirked as they heard hushed voices on the other side of the door. Rose frowned, but quickly forgot it when the door opened and her Mum quickly pulled her into a hug.

"Oh, happy birthday, sweetheart!" Jackie exclaimed, tugging her daughter into the mansion.

"Thanks Mum," Rose replied, glancing over her shoulder to check the Doctor was still there "where's Tony?"

"Oh, he's in the dining room. You go on through," Jackie answered, nudging Rose towards the door.

Puzzled, Rose stepped into the rather dark dining room when suddenly, the lights came on and several friends from Torchwood- and Tony- jumped out, shouting "Surprise!"

Rose laughed in delight as she saw that both Donna and Arthur were there, despite insisting only hours before that they'd not heard of any plans for the evening. As Rose felt arms go around her waist, she leant back into the Doctor's chest.

"Did you plan all this?" she asked him quietly, grinning.

The Doctor shrugged modestly, but was grinning.

"I told you I wanted to do something special for your birthday," he replied, kissing her on the forehead.

"So the whole thing about Tony was an act?" Rose asked, frowning slightly. The Doctor had seemed so upset earlier.

The Doctor grinned, shrugging slightly.

"We-ell, yeah," he admitted, still beaming madly.

Rose chuckled as Tony barrelled into her legs, hugging her. She swung her little brother into her arms and turned back to face her friends.

"I don't know what to say!" Rose admitted, still chuckling slightly "But, well, thanks!"

**~StormWolf10~**

Several hours later, the Doctor and Rose were back at their apartment cuddled up in bed. They party had finished little over an hour ago, and they'd been home for only twenty-five minutes, but they'd been so tired they'd gone straight to bed.

"Thanks for today," Rose piped up quietly, suddenly.

"You're welcome," the Doctor replied, grinning as he kissed her forehead "I just wish we'd done something like this last year."

"Nah, last year was still chaotic- we were still living at Mum and Dad's and you were only just settling in. Besides, we all had a nice meal last year. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way." Rose replied, pushing herself up to lean on her forearms and kiss the Doctor on the lips.

"Glad you enjoyed it," the Doctor answered sincerely, rolling them suddenly so that he was above her.

Rose grinned up at him, recognising the glint in his eye. Suddenly, she wasn't feeling so tired anymore.


	25. Wedding Plans

**A/N: Another chapter, yay! Little twist at the end of this chapter, hope you like it XD**

Lungbarrow: Wedding Plans

The Doctor stopped dead, staring in shock at their sitting room. Rose was sat on the sofa, surrounded by wedding magazines, files, books and her laptop.

"What's going on?" the Doctor managed to ask, brow furrowing.

"The wedding's not gonna plan itself, you know," Rose told her fiancé, not looking up from her laptop.

"Well, _yeah_, but do you really need all these magazines and books and stuff?" he asked as he made his way over to the sofa.

"Doctor, I have no idea what wedding dress I want, what colour the bridesmaids will be wearing, what flowers we want, what cake we want, the suits you and the groomsmen will be wearing…" Rose looked up at him, wide-eyed and more than a little panicked.

The Doctor sighed, and shifted some of the magazines off of the sofa so he could sit beside Rose. It was a Sunday, and he'd been enjoying a rare lie-in until he realised Rose wasn't in the bed with him. He wondered how long she'd been up worrying about the wedding.

"Rose, calm down," the Doctor told her gently, rubbing her back and pulling her in for a hug "we'll get the wedding sorted. We already have the venues for the ceremony and reception, your Mum's organising the catering, I've booked the honeymoon, we've got the rings…"

"But it's only two months away and we still don't have the bridesmaids and groomsmen sorted!" Rose protested, close to tears.

The Doctor sighed again. Rose was right; their wedding day was exactly two months from now they would be getting married. Friday July 10th 2015.

"Well, we agreed it would only be a small wedding…" the Doctor attempted a weak smile.

"It'll have to be _miniscule_ for us to actually get it all organised in time! We haven't even gotten invitations yet!" Rose replied, sagging back into the sofa.

"Then a miniscule wedding we shall have!" the Doctor answered, grinning.

Rose looked at him sceptically.

"Doctor," Rose said "are you really telling me you want a tiny little wedding?"

"Well, the church we've booked only seats what, sixty people? And quite frankly, I don't even see why we'd want sixty people there. Do we even know sixty people? I don't know sixty people. Well, I do, but not sixty people I'd want at our wedding. I mean, there's Jackie and Pete, but they'd be sat on your side; then there's Arthur and Rory, Owen and Tosh, Jonathon, Donna, Libby, Gwen and Jake. That's everyone I want to invite. Well, Arthur and Owen are groomsmen and Donna, Libby and Gwen are bridesmaids, so that's only six guests. So, really, we could do a miniscule wedding. Unless you don't want one. I mean, if you want a big wedding, we can have a big wedding…"

The Doctor finished his rant, wide-eyed and breathless while Rose just gaped at him.

"That's…" Rose began, as wide-eyed as her fiancé.

"Stupid. Yeah, I know," the Doctor interrupted, flopping back against the sofa.

"No!" Rose protested quickly "That's…That's _brilliant_!"

"Really?" the Doctor asked, perplexed.

"Yeah! I mean, you're right; they're really the only people that _need_ to be there. They can bring a guest each if they want, but that's…that's everyone I want at our wedding."

"So we're agreed?" the Doctor asked, raising an eyebrow "A miniscule wedding?"

"A miniscule wedding," Rose agreed.

They grinned at each other, but suddenly, the Doctor's face fell.

"Doctor?" Rose prompted, quickly growing concerned.

"How are we going to explain this to your Mother?"

**~StormWolf10~**

Rose groaned, flopping back down onto the sofa, phone still in hand.

"How did Jackie take it?" the Doctor asked, pulling Rose close to him.

"Better than expected," Rose admitted "but still not great. Started going on about how she and Dad would be happy to pay if it were too expensive. It took a lot of time to convince her that we're having a small wedding because that's what we want, not because we can't afford it."

"At least she didn't get too mad." the Doctor replied before stiffening "Rose, she's not going to slap me again is she?"

Rose laughed.

"She slapped you once, Doctor! _Once_!" Rose laughed.

"It hurt!" the Doctor answered indignantly, one hand going to his cheek at the memory.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, cuddled up on the sofa, before Rose pulled away.

"Come on, we'd better get dressed," Rose told him, standing up "Mum wants us at hers and Dad's for Sunday dinner,"

The Doctor blinked owlishly before realising that both he and Rose were still in their pyjamas.

"Right, yes, good. We're out of milk anyway," he told her, getting to his feet.

Rose rolled her eyes as they padded back down the hallway to their bedroom.

"Doctor," Rose piped up suddenly "you do know Tony will be at the wedding, right?"

"Well, yes," the Doctor replied, frowning "I would rather expect your younger brother to be at our wedding."

"Oh." Rose replied, brow furrowing "It's just that earlier, you didn't include Tony when you said about the guests. You said Mum and Dad would be sitting on my side, but didn't mention Tony."

"Well of course I didn't," the Doctor replied, chuckling as he tugged a fresh t-shirt on "the best man won't be sitting on the bride's side of the church!"

Rose just gaped at her fiancé.


	26. Day Trip

**A/N: Yet another chapter, aren't you lucky? This chapter had been written for ages, I just needed to do the chapters before XD**

Lungbarrow: Day Trip

"Now, are you sure you'll be alright with him for the weekend?" Jackie asked for the umpteenth time.

Rose sighed and rolled her eyes as the Doctor strapped Tony into the booster seat now in the back of their car.

"Yes, Mum! Now go on, get going! You'll be late otherwise!" Rose told her Mum, pushing her towards Pete's Lexus.

Jackie and Pete had to fly out to New York for the weekend, for an urgent Vitex meeting with several of the shareholders, meaning that Rose and the Doctor had to have Tony for the weekend. However, Jackie seemed to be having a hard time letting go of her son. Eventually, Pete and Jackie were waving goodbye as Pete drove up the driveway.

"So, Private, what do you want to do for the day?" Rose asked her little brother.

"I wanna go to the zoo!" Tony exclaimed, bouncing in his seat.

**~StormWolf10~**

London zoo was, unsurprisingly, packed with people. It was June, and was so far the warmest day of the year. The Doctor supposed that, to anyone who didn't know who they were (which wasn't many, thanks to gossip magazines), they most probably looked like a normal family; Mum, Dad and son out for a day trip. Rose wasn't helping by constantly slathering Tony in sun cream ("Mum will kill me if he gets sunburn!"), but quite frankly, he wasn't helping either by carrying Tony on his shoulders.

"What do you want to see next, Private?" the Doctor called up to Tony as he gripped the boy's ankles tight.

"The lions!" Tony replied eagerly.

The Doctor could hear the grin in the boy's words as he and Rose began walking over to the lion enclosure. As they neared it, the little boy began wriggling, attempting to clamber down the Doctor's back. Rose helped her little brother to the floor, and Tony scrambled over to the barrier that was set a little way back from the fence.

"Why can't we go closer?" Tony asked, disappointed "We were allowed to walk through the monkey's house!"

"Well," the Doctor replied, stooping to the little boy's level "it's probably because this lion here might try to gobble you up!"

Tony's eyes widened.

"It wouldn't, would it?" Tony asked in disbelief.

The Doctor shrugged, and the little boy quickly took a step away from the barrier.

"It wouldn't, would it, Rose?" Tony asked his big sister, eyes wide.

Rose scooped him up into her arms.

"You're perfectly safe here, Tony," Rose reassured the boy.

Tony sagged against his big sister in relief.

**~StormWolf10~**

At just gone midday, the trio settled on a patch of grass for lunch. Rose had prepared a picnic that morning, and she pulled the items out one by one from her rucksack; a bottle of juice for Tony and two iced teas for her and the Doctor, a container of cheese and ham sandwiches, three packets of crisps, some chocolate bars, and a box of grapes. Paper plates came next, and Rose spread a picnic blanket on the grass. Tony waited patiently for the Doctor and Rose to hand him a plate, and even then he confused passers-by by not taking any food until the Doctor nodded and gestured at the food. It was something Tony had learned from one of the many Vitex and Torchwood dinners he had attended- do not take food until someone tells you to.

"What do you want to do after this, Tony?" Rose asked, watching as her little brother tucked into his lunch.

Tony shrugged, but glanced at the little kiosk just across the patch of grass they were sat on. The Doctor and Rose noticed this too, and grinned.

"You can have an ice cream in a minute," Rose told Tony, grinning "eat your lunch first!"

Tony grinned, and began wolfing down his lunch. The three sat in companionable silence while they ate, and then the Doctor led Tony over to the kiosk to buy and ice cream. They returned a few minutes later, finding Rose relaxing on the picnic blanket, eyes closed as the midday sun beat down on them. Rose reluctantly opened her eyes, and found both Tony and the Doctor grinning down at her, both clutching an ice cream and Tony also holding a bright blue rubber football. She sat up as the Doctor sat down beside her and Tony plopped himself down in her lap.

"Are you sure you don't want an ice cream?" the Doctor asked in concern, licking at his ice cream cone as melted ice cream ran down the side of it.

"Nah, you know I'm trying to cut that kind of stuff out," Rose answered.

Because she was concentrating on Tony, Rose didn't notice the Doctor roll his eyes at that. Thanks to some stupid website Rose had found a week or two ago, she had started this weird diet plan that she thought would help her get pregnant quicker. Of course, most of the tips on the website were good, but ever since reading that losing weight could increase their chances of conception, Rose had managed to get it into her head that- despite the Doctor and her parents telling her otherwise- she needed to lose weight.

"One ice cream isn't going to hurt, Rose," the Doctor told her, sighing.

Instead of replying, Rose merely set Tony- who had already devoured his ice cream- on his converse-clad feet and began gathering up the picnic supplies.

**~StormWolf10~**

After the Doctor had had a kick about with Tony with his new football, they finished looking around the zoo. They finished off in the gift shop ("Hey, look, Rose! They've got a little shop! I love a little shop!" "Yes, Doctor…") where they bought Tony a cuddly lion and a cuddly monkey before heading back to the car. By this point, Tony was beginning to flag, dragging his feet and cuddling into Rose's side, but they were loathe to let him nap in case he woke them up at the crack of dawn the next day. Eventually, however, the four year old fell asleep on the car ride back to the Doctor and Rose's apartment.


	27. Babysitting, Nightmares, and Big Comfy

**A/N: I really loved writing this chapter, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it so read and review!**

Lungbarrow: Babysitting, Nightmares, and Big Comfy Beds

After their eventful trip to the zoo, Tony had been- for want of a better word- knackered. He had eventually fallen asleep on the car ride home, but Rose had reluctantly had to wake him when they arrived at the apartment. Rose and the Doctor had spent the rest of the evening occupying the four year old with colouring, stories and playing with his new cuddly toys while Smoky sniffed them warily. They had a dinner of fish fingers and chips, before Tony became so tired that he began to whine.

"Come on, Tony," Rose told her brother, lifting him into her arms "I think it's bedtime for you."

Tony squirmed and whined some more, but allowed Rose to carry him off to the box room. Once dressed in dark blue Toy Story pyjamas, Tony came padding back out with Rose in tow so he could go brush his teeth in the bathroom opposite his room. Just before he allowed Rose to tuck him up in bed, he insisted on a bedtime story from both Rose and the Doctor. That done, Tony finally settled down under the covers.

**~StormWolf10~**

Tony Tyler woke up in a cold sweat, tears streaming down his cheeks. It took him a while to remember where he was, but he soon realised he was in his bedroom- which also doubled as the Doctor's study- at the Doctor and Rose's apartment. His Mum and Dad were in New York. Still breathing heavily from the after-effects of the nightmare, Tony clung to his teddy bear Toffee II and watched as the holo-dome cast stars across the ceiling. It was the very same holo-dome the Doctor had made him for his fourth birthday, and Jackie had packed it as Tony used it for a nightlight. However, tonight the holo-dome failed to calm him. Tony quickly slipped out of the bed, grabbing his new stuffed lion and his stuffed monkey before reaching for Toffee II and heading to the door. The little boy hurried along the short dark corridor to the Doctor and Rose's room, struggling not to think of all the monsters and demons that could be lurking in the shadows to grab him. Upon reaching his sister's and brother in law's room, he quickly let himself in, shutting the door behind him. Something in the room moved, and Tony stiffened instantly as he saw the thing move. A light came on on one of the bedside tables.

"Tony?" Rose asked groggily, sitting up in bed.

Tony relaxed instantly as he realised that it was his sister, and he padded across the room to the bed.

"I had a nightmare," Tony told his sister woefully, his big brown eyes full of tears.

"Oh, Tony," Rose sighed, helping the little boy onto the bed "do you want to stay here tonight?"

Tony nodded eagerly, before casting a worried glance over his shoulder at the door. The little boy jumped again as, this time, the Doctor stirred and woke.

"Wha's going on?" the Doctor asked tiredly, scrubbing a hand over his eyes and screwing up his eyes against the light that Rose's lamp cast across the room.

"Tony's had a nightmare;" Rose explained "is it alright if he stays here tonight?"

"Yeah, that's fine," the Doctor replied, yawning.

Despite his obvious tiredness, the Doctor sat up slightly as Tony climbed over his sister and settled himself between the Doctor and Rose.

"Got enough cuddly toys there, Private?" the Doctor asked, grinning.

Tony glanced at his three cuddly toys before nodding at the Doctor. The Doctor chuckled, and figured that the little boy didn't quite get sarcasm yet.

"Do you feel ready to talk about your nightmare yet?" Rose asked her brother gently, stroking his hair. Rose knew that her Mother always tried to encourage Tony to talk about his nightmares so that she could reassure him about any of his fears.

Tony looked up at his sister tearfully, and merely sniffled in reply. Rose sighed and hugged the little boy to her.

"I know you're scared, Tony, but we will have to talk about it sooner or later, and the sooner you talk about it the sooner we can help you," Rose told her little brother softly as she rocked him.

She felt Tony nod against her, and she smiled slightly.

"It…It was really dark." Tony began quietly, voice trembling and hand fisting in Rose's pyjama top "An'…An' I was alone. I could hear Mummy and Daddy calling for me, but I couldn't find them. I heard you two too," Tony sniffed at this point and clung to his soft toys, looking tearfully between his sister and the Doctor "but I couldn't find you either! An' then…An' then something came up behind me…"

Tony trailed off, shaking and sobbing. Rose hugged him to her, rocking him and shushing him, and the Doctor quickly moved to smooth the little boy's hair back from his sweaty forehead.

"It's alright, Tony," the Doctor assured the boy gently "Rose and I are here and your Mum and Dad will be back by tomorrow." He glanced at the alarm clock on his bedside table "In fact, they'll be back in seventeen hours,"

Tony sniffed and looked up at the Doctor with wide eyes.

"But I couldn't find you!" Tony protested, beginning to sob again.

"We're right here, Tony, we're not going anywhere. And whenever you want to find me, or the Doctor, or Mum and Dad, you'll be able to, ok?" Rose reassured Tony gently.

Tony nodded, his sobs beginning to stop and sleep beginning to claim him. Carefully, Rose shifted her brother off her lap and into the space between her and the Doctor. Making sure Tony could reach all his cuddly toys, Rose then lay down, the Doctor following suit.

"It's lucky your sister and I have a big comfy bed, eh, Tony?" the Doctor asked the four year old, grinning.

Tony giggled sleepily and nodded.

"Go on you, go back to sleep, I know you're tired." Rose told her brother, kissing Tony's forehead.

"You'll be here when I wake up, yeah?" Tony asked sleepily.

"Of course," both Rose and the Doctor responded in unison.

"An' you won't let the thing from my dreams take me?" he asked.

"Of course not," the Doctor replied "after all, then I'd have to find another best man!"

Again, Tony giggled, but less than a few minutes later, his breath had evened out and the little boy was asleep. Rose reached over and turned her lamp off. She felt the Doctor lean over Tony and kiss her forehead, but she was too tired to react.


	28. Girly Day Out

**A/N: Finally, another chapter! I've been writing this story for almost a year now! Surprised at how well people have taken to it, and how popular it is, so thanks :) Anyways, on with the chapter now…**

Lungbarrow: Girly Day Out

"I just can't believe you left it this late to get your wedding dress!" Donna continued loudly as they stepped into the bridal shop.

Rose rolled her eyes.

"I didn't _plan_ to leave it this late! Things just…got away from us," Rose told her friend.

"And what does Jackie think of you having this _miniscule_ wedding?" Gwen asked, grinning.

Rose grinned.

"She took it better than expected, no yelling or slapping. But it took her a while to convince her we decided on a small wedding because we _wanted_ one; she kept trying to say her and Dad would pay for a big wedding."

Just then, they were interrupted by a sales assistant, who greeted them cheerfully and led them over to see the dresses they had picked out from the magazine. Little over fifteen minutes later, Donna, Libby and Gwen were sweeping round the shop in their dark blue- TARDIS blue- bridesmaids dresses, giggling and gushing like teenagers. However, they fell silent in a split second as Rose stepped out of a dressing room in her wedding dress.

"Oh, Rose!" Libby whispered, grinning at her friend.

"Well?" Rose prompted, smiling nervously at her friends.

"You look absolutely gorgeous!" Gwen told her, beaming.

"Yeah?" Rose asked uncertainly.

"Yeah!" Donna insisted.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Where's Rose?" Tony asked, trying to look past the Doctor to see if his sister was following.

"She's out shopping with Donna, Gwen and Libby. Gone to get stuff for the wedding." The Doctor told the little boy as he stepped into the entrance of the Tyler Mansion "And as they're having a girly day out, I figured- if it's alright with your Mum- we'd have a boys' day out."

Tony's face lit up, and he nodded eagerly.

"What's this about a boys' day out?" Jackie asked, coming in from the kitchen.

"If it's alright, Jackie, I'd like to take Tony out for the day to get our suits for the wedding. I know I should have phoned sooner, but…"

"That's fine, Doctor," Jackie interrupted, smiling softly.

The Doctor turned back to the four year old, ready to tell him to get his shoes on, and was surprised to see that Tony had already pulled his jacket and converses on and was struggling with the laces.

**~StormWolf10~**

Tony held the Doctor's hand tight as they stepped into the store. The specialist suit tailors had been suggested by Pete, who used them regularly and was good friends with the manager. The Doctor quickly led Tony over to the counter. There was a man behind the counter who, according to his name badge, was Charles Thomas, manager. The Doctor realised that he had seen this man briefly several times at Tyler parties.

"Hello, I'm Jonathan Lungbarrow. I believe my partner Rose Tyler called last week about suits for me and my best man?" the Doctor asked uncertainly.

Charles smiled and nodded.

"Ah, yes! Miss Tyler has already picked out the colour of the ties so that you will match the bridesmaids, and we have chosen several suits for you to try on, sir. If you'd like to follow me to the dressing rooms?"

The Doctor nodded, and Charles led them round to the back of the shop to the dressing rooms. Tony stood quietly and patiently while Charles and the Doctor discussed the pre-picked suits, watching in interest as the Doctor narrowed the choice down to one charcoal grey suit and one black three-piece suit.

"Come on then, Private," the Doctor told Tony, gesturing at him to enter the dressing room "let's see what this suit looks like on."

Tony hurried into the dressing room, the Doctor close behind. Luckily, the dressing room was big enough to accommodate both of them so that the Doctor could help the four year old with his suit. The Doctor chuckled when he saw that the ties were TARDIS blue. He made a mental note to show Rose how much he appreciated that later. Pushing all thoughts of _that_ to the back of his mind, the Doctor slipped his own suit on. He and Tony looked at themselves in the mirror for a while.

"What do you think, Private?" the Doctor asked Tony, still looking in the mirror.

Tony wrinkled his nose.

"Don't look right," Tony answered.

The Doctor hummed in agreement.

"Let's try the black suit. Maybe that'll look better." The Doctor mused.

Five minutes later, both the Doctor and Tony were in the black three-piece suit, staring at their reflections in the mirror.

"Doctor?" Tony piped up.

"Yeah?" the Doctor asked, looking down at the boy.

"I like this one," Tony admitted, looking up at the Doctor.

"Me too," the Doctor grinned.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Wondered where you two had gotten to. You missed dinner you know," Rose told the Doctor, grinning.

She was sat on the steps of the grand staircase in the entrance to the Tyler Mansion. The Doctor merely grinned back, shifting a sleeping Tony in his arms.

"Took Tony to get our suits," the Doctor replied in a stage-whisper, trying not to wake Tony "we stopped off for dinner on the way back."

Just then, Jackie came bustling in from the front room, followed by Pete.

"He wasn't too much trouble, was he, Doctor?" Jackie asked as Pete moved forward to relieve the Doctor of the sleeping child.

"Nah, he was great. We've got the suits. They're in the boot of the car; couldn't carry them and Tony at the same time, and I didn't want to wake him," the Doctor replied, grinning.

"Well, we'd better get going, Mum," Rose announced suddenly, standing up "we'll leave you to put Tony to bed."

"Yeah, see you soon, love," Jackie told her daughter, hugging her goodbye.

Pete bade them goodnight as he carried Tony up to bed, and when Jackie followed, the Doctor and Rose saw themselves out.

"So how was your girly day out?" the Doctor asked as they headed out to their car.

"It was great," Rose replied, grinning "the dresses are sorted, we went out for lunch, had a proper chat for one- not some brief little conversation as we pass each other at Torchwood. It was fun."

"Good, glad you enjoyed it." the Doctor replied sincerely as he unlocked the car. "Oh, and I must say I rather liked the TARDIS blue ties you picked out for Tony and I!"

"Glad you liked them," Rose answered, smirking.

"Oh, I most certainly did! And I'll be willing to show you how much when I get home," the Doctor replied lowly, smirking.


	29. Wedding Day

**A/N: Chapter 29 :) Read and Review **

Lungbarrow: Wedding Day

The Doctor was standing at the altar, shifting from foot to foot nervously. The day had sort of crept up on them, and he was amazed that he and Rose had actually managed to get everything together in time. It was July 10th, just before three in the afternoon, and the very few wedding guests were seated. They had decided not to bother having separate sides for the bride's and groom's guests, as the only people there were Jackie, Pete, Arthur, Rory, Jonathon, Owen, Tosh, Gwen, Libby, Donna and Jake. Tony was stood proudly beside the Doctor, occasionally waving enthusiastically at Jackie, who had been forced into her seat barely five minutes previously by a disgruntled Arthur after she started fussing around Rose. Arthur was now stood just behind the Doctor and Tony with Owen as they were groomsmen. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime to the Doctor, the doors opened and, as the wedding march began, Pete and Rose walked in. The Doctor couldn't resist turning round and seeing Rose. She looked even more beautiful than usual, wearing a long, strapless white dress and high heels. Her hair had been gently curled and pinned up. However, as she neared the altar, the Doctor noticed Rose was looking rather nervous, and he hoped that they had made the right decision by not pushing the wedding back; there'd been a…_situation_ three weeks before that only the Doctor and Rose knew about, and they'd contemplated postponing the wedding because of it. Nonetheless, Rose was determined that they'd be married on July 10th, and so here they were.

"Hello," the Doctor greeted her quietly as she reached the altar. He was grinning.

"Hello to you too," Rose replied, beaming back.

Pete kissed his daughter on the cheek and nodded at the Doctor before retreating to his seat beside Jackie.

**~StormWolf10~**

The majority of the service went off without a hitch, although Tony did momentarily forget to hand the rings over. The Doctor and Rose both merely laughed it off, as did their few guests, and once vows were exchanged, they filed outside for several group photos. The reception was being held at the Tyler Mansion, and after much convincing, Jackie hadn't gone overboard. As the Rolls Royce pulled up outside the Mansion, the Doctor and Rose saw that the others had evidently rushed back to get to the house before them. Tony was sat in the Rolls Royce with them, after refusing to go in the car with his parents, and the Doctor and Rose had decided to let the four year old come back with them. As soon as the car stopped, Tony was scrambling out the door and running over to Donna, who lifted him into her arms.

"Mrs Lungbarrow," the Doctor announced, smiling as he offered Rose his arm.

Rose blinked, having not realised that her husband- husband, that would take a while to get used to, she mused- before smiling and taking his proffered arm.

"Mr Lungbarrow," she replied, smiling.

Almost as soon as they reached the doors of the Mansion, Donna, Arthur, Jake and Rory produced party poppers from somewhere, popping them enthusiastically. Rose laughed and rolled her eyes, realising she'd expected nothing else from her friends.

**~StormWolf10~**

The reception went on for hours, and it was still going on after Tony had gone to bed. By nine o'clock at night, the Doctor and Rose departed so they could head to the airport for their honeymoon. Rose still had no idea where she was going on honeymoon, and the Doctor was still refusing to tell her.

"How do you expect me to check in at the zeppelin port, then?" she demanded as they were driven to the zeppelin port.

"That's all sorted," the Doctor replied calmly, although he was grinning "your Dad's lent us his private zeppelin, and they know who's using it, so we'll just walk straight in.

Rose attempted to glare at her new husband, but she was too excited to maintain it for long. So she went back to begging.

"Please?" Rose begged, gripping the Doctor's arm tight "Just a hint? I probably won't even be able to guess it; I've always been rubbish at Geography! Please, love?"

The Doctor suppressed a smirk and shook his head. Rose sighed, slumping back in her seat. It was going to be a long drive…


	30. Honeymoon

**A/N: These chapters seem to be getting a little depressing atm, but I'm afraid you'll just have to go with it for a while I'm afraid. Soon, we'll be back to the more light-hearted stuff (hopefully).**

Lungbarrow: Honeymoon

"Barcelona!" Rose laughed in disbelief, grinning as she stepped off the zeppelin "You've actually brought me to Barcelona!"

"We-ell," the Doctor replied, also grinning "we never did get to the planet Barcelona, so this was the next best thing. You like it?"

"Like it?" Rose echoed "I love it!"

And with that, she tugged her new husband down for a quick kiss. Reluctantly, the Doctor pulled away after just a minute or so.

"Come on, we'd better go check into the hotel," the Doctor told Rose gently, reaching for their suitcases.

Rose had whimpered slightly as he pulled out of the kiss, but nodded, and the pair of them were soon making their way through the crowded zeppelin port. They were soon in a taxi on the way to the hotel, and the pair fell into a comfortable silence. However, the silence was soon broken by the Doctor.

"Are you feeling alright?" the Doctor asked quietly, taking Rose's hand in his.

"Yeah," Rose answered, rewarding her husband with a soft, genuine smile "I'm just a little tired."

"We'll be at the hotel soon, and you can have a nap." The Doctor assured her gently "I did suggest pushing the wedding back."

"I know you did, but…Well, we'd have to answer all those awkward questions, wouldn't we?" Rose pointed out, sighing.

"We wouldn't!" the Doctor protested, frowning "We could've just said something about needing more time to prepare, or something,"

"Yeah, but Mum and Dad would've known, wouldn't they? An' then we'd have had to explain about the miscarriage, an'…An' I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet." Rose admitted quietly.

The Doctor sighed, and kissed Rose on the forehead.

"I know, Rose, I know. But we'll have to tell them at some point. This is the second time it's happened," the Doctor told her softly.

Rose nodded, and the pair fell back into silence. The silence was only broken several minutes later by the taxi driver telling them they'd arrived at the hotel.

**~StormWolf10~**

"I feel awful!"

"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked, frowning as he looked up from where he was unpacking their suitcases to look at his wife.

"I mean, we're on our honeymoon an' all I want to do is sleep! It's hardly fair on you! And it's not exactly a very honeymoon-y thing to do!" Rose replied tiredly.

The Doctor grinned and moved to sit on the edge of the king-size bed Rose was sprawled on.

"In case you hadn't noticed, Mrs Lungbarrow, we never do things by the rules," the Doctor reminded Rose cheekily "our lives have never, and will never be normal. So stop worrying about what everyone expects people to do on their honeymoons and just enjoy ours."

Rose grinned and leant up to steal a kiss from her husband's lips.

"What do you want to do first?" the Doctor asked, pulling away slightly.

Rose pretended to think for a few moments before grinning at the Doctor. Knowing exactly what that look meant, the Doctor quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Really?" he asked "Now?"

Rose merely grinned in reply.

**~StormWolf10~**

Just over half an hour later, the Doctor and Rose was laying on their stomachs on the bed, watching the large TV opposite. They were surrounded by virtually all the food the hotel provided on room service, and were laughing and chatting.

"I can't believe they actually still have Big Brother here," Rose laughed, nodding at the TV.

"Hey, if it's good enough for the year 200100, it's good enough for 2015!" the Doctor pointed out as he helped himself to another banana.

The pair descended into a companionable silence.

"You do realise my Mum won't believe us when we tell her that this was what we spent our first day of our honeymoon doing," Rose told her husband, grinning.

The Doctor shrugged.

"You know what?" he replied "I think it's so crazy she might just believe us!"

Rose laughed at that.

"Yeah, you could be right there," she admitted.

"You still feeling tired?" the Doctor asked suddenly.

"No, why?" Rose asked, despite recognising the glint in his eye.

"Well, it's just that I could think of some other things we could do…"

Rose grinned.


	31. Confessions

**A/N: Well, it looks like we've only got about five depressing chapters left and then things start to get fun again! (although there is admittedly a bit of angst/ hurt/comfort)**

Lungbarrow: Confessions

It had been just over three weeks since the Doctor and Rose had gotten married, and it had been a week since they'd returned from their honeymoon. As agreed, they had finally broken the news to Jackie and Pete about Rose's second miscarriage, and her parents had urged her to go to the doctors about it. Rose was reluctant, but knew she didn't have much choice. However, they'd also agreed to start telling their friends, and while the Doctor explained it to their friends in his Field Team (using a series of complicated medical terms that Ianto and Gwen failed to understand), Rose explained it to hers- and Donna- in a far more simple way.

"I had a miscarriage."

This was immediately met with concerned questions from her friends, all of whom were sat around a table. It was their lunch break, and Rose had been putting the conversation off for several hours until finally just coming out with it. Almost immediately, she found herself being engulfed in a hug from Donna.

"Oh, sweetheart!" Donna exclaimed "Have you told your parents?"

Rose nodded.

"Yeah. We told them the other day. It happened weeks ago now, but we didn't want to say anything before the wedding." Rose explained.

"Are you and Jonathan going to try for another baby?" Arthur asked.

Rose shook her head.

"Not for a while, at least. And that's if everything's ok; I'm going to the doctor's next week for some tests."

"But it's probably nothing, right?" Libby asked in concern.

"I don't know," Rose admitted "I've already had one miscarriage. We didn't say anything then because we were going to try for another baby, but now it's happened again…"

Donna sighed.

"Well, I'm sure everything is alright," she announced to Rose, her optimistic tone falling flat.

"Yeah…" Rose replied, unconvinced.

The group fell into an awkward silence.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Hello, Smoky!" the Doctor announced, grinning as the cat greeted him when he came through the front door.

The Doctor had headed home alone after Rose's Field Team had been sent out on another case. Wanting to be of some use, the Doctor had told Rose that he'd cook dinner for them and have it ready when she arrived home, but he figured he'd have a little time before he had to start. The cat mewed and wound his way around the Doctor's legs as he hung his coat up. Stooping to lift the cat into his arms, the Doctor headed into the sitting room.

"I bet you're relieved to be back here, aren't you?" the Doctor asked the cat as he sat on the sofa. He lifted Smoky up so he was eye-level with him "No Tony running about yelling and interrupting your sleep, no Jackie constantly vacuuming around you…"

Smoky mewed in response. The Doctor sighed and lowered the cat to the sofa. Smoky immediately leapt up to sit on the back of the sofa, and the Doctor twisted round so he could see the cat. Smoky mewed again.

"Yeah, I know you're hungry, but you'll have to wait until Rose is back." The Doctor told Smoky sternly.

The cat glared back at him.

**~StormWolf10~**

"You know what, Smoky?" the Doctor piped up suddenly, eyes glued to the TV screen, but not really watching. It was some dreadful reality show.

The cat meowed questioningly.

"Sometimes…Sometimes I feel like I've failed Rose." The Doctor admitted, glancing at the cat.

The cat blinked, watching the Doctor carefully.

"I know it sounds stupid, but… I think she really does want a family, you know? I've seen the way she is around Tony, and I know she'll make a great Mum…But I can't help thinking that it's my fault she keeps having miscarriages." The Doctor continued, sighing.

"And sometimes…Just sometimes, when Rose is sat on the sofa, and she doesn't know I'm watching her… She looks so sad. I think maybe sometimes, she misses him. The Time Lord me. She misses the TARDIS, and the adventures, and… Well, all of it. I miss it too, I suppose. But sometimes I feel like… Like I'm not enough for her."

The Doctor had a far-off look in his eyes, and Smoky hesitantly reached down and batted the end of the Doctor's hair gently, just enough to regain his attention. The Doctor smiled slightly, and rewarded the cat by stroking his fur gently. Smoky purred.

"I know I'm just being silly, Smoky. And I'm sorry you had to listen to my rambling, but… Well, there was no one else for me to talk to. I know Pete said I could go and talk to him about anything, but… Well, he's Rose's father! It would have been a little awkward…"

Smoky mewed.

"Well yeah, I know you're Rose's cat, but you're more impartial than Pete." The Doctor replied.

"Why's the cat more impartial than my Dad?"

The Doctor jumped, and quickly turned round to see Rose stood just behind the sofa.

"No reason!" he answered quickly "How long have you been there?"

"Only a few seconds. Just in time to hear you tell Smoky that he's more impartial than my father." Rose replied, grinning.

The Doctor noticed that she looked more than a little tired, and he mentally made a note to make sure he booked a few days off for them soon so that they could have a long weekend to relax.

"Why exactly were you talking to the cat, anyway? He can't understand you." Rose announced as she tickled Smoky under the chin. The cat purred in contentment.

"Yes he can!" the Doctor replied indignantly, jumping to his feet "I speak cat!"

Rose rolled her eyes.

"Sure you do, Doctor, sure you do." She smirked.

"I do, honestly!" the Doctor continued, growing more and more indignant by the second.

"Whatever you say." Rose told him, still smirking "Now, what's for dinner?"

"Dinner?" the Doctor echoed, blinking.

His eyes widened in realisation.

"I knew I'd forgotten something! Give me twenty minutes!" he yelled, vaulting the sofa and setting off for the kitchen.

Rose sighed at the Doctor's retreating back.

"Looks like it's fish and oven chips for tea tonight, Smoky." Rose told the cat glumly.

Smoky merely mewed in response.


	32. Tests

**A/N: A rather emotional chapter now…**

Lungbarrow: Tests

"Rose?"

Rose groaned slightly in response and burrowed further beneath the warm duvet.

"Rose?" the voice repeated.

A hand shook her gently, but Rose batted it off and rolled onto her stomach, her mind set on going back to sleep.

"Come on, Rose,"

Rose moaned when the duvet was rather forcefully dragged off her body.

"Doctor!" she complained, rolling onto her back and opening her eyes to glare at her husband.

"Come on, Rose, you've got your appointment with Doctor Howell in just over an hour." The Doctor told her, tugging his wife into a sitting position.

Rose sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Do I have to go?" Rose asked meekly.

The Doctor sighed and dropped back onto their bed. He was already dressed, Rose noted, and had probably been up for some time.

"Rose, I'm sure it'll be fine. It's just some tests. And besides, I'll be with you the whole time," the Doctor told her gently.

Rose sighed and rested her head on the Doctor's shoulder.

"I'm scared." She admitted softly.

**~StormWolf10~**

Forty-five minutes later, the Doctor and Rose were heading into Torchwood. Several of their colleagues gave them surprised looks, as they'd both been scheduled for a day off, and only their Field Teams knew about Rose's miscarriages. They passed Donna on the way up to the Infirmary, and she'd given them a sympathetic smile and promised them that, whatever the results, she would cook dinner for them next weekend round her flat. Soon, Rose was being shown into a cubicle, where she sat on the edge of the bed, swinging her legs nervously and holding her husband's hand tight.

"Hello, Rose," Doctor Howell told them, smiling gently as she joined them.

Rose smiled back awkwardly, feeling absolutely terrified.

"I'm going to take some blood for testing, and we'll get you to do a urine test," Doctor Howell explained gently "then we might do an ultrasound."

"Do you know when the results will be back?" the Doctor asked, squeezing Rose's hand reassuringly.

"Admittedly, it won't be for a week or two." Doctor Howell replied sympathetically.

The Doctor nodded in understanding.

**~StormWolf10~**

It was almost an hour and a half later before Rose and the Doctor were finally allowed to go home. In that time, she had been poked, prodded and scanned numerous times and had had so much blood taken for testing that she was admittedly feeling slightly light-headed. On the way back down to the car park, they'd had to duck into an empty boardroom to avoid Pete; they really didn't want to have to face either of Rose's parents just yet. As they climbed into the car, the Doctor attempted to ease the tension that had descended between them.

"So, do you want to go somewhere for lunch? You'll certainly need some food in you after the amount of blood they took!" the Doctor joked as he started up the engine.

Rose didn't reply, and the Doctor noticed that her head was resting against the window.

"Rose?" he prompted gently, immediately concerned.

"I just wanna go home, Doctor," she replied quietly.

"We'll have to stop off at the store then, we've got no bread at home and you'll need to eat something." The Doctor told her, pulling out of the parking space.

"'Kay." Rose answered softly.

**~StormWolf10~**

The drive back to their apartment was made in almost complete silence. The Doctor stopped off at a nearby store for some bread before they went home, but Rose barely acknowledged that he'd gotten out of the car. By the time he was helping her into their apartment, Rose was looking rather pale, and the Doctor decided that it would be better for her to go straight to bed and eat something in bed.

"Doctor?" Rose asked suddenly, her voice quiet as her husband helped her into bed.

"Yeah?" the Doctor asked as he pulled the duvet up over Rose's body.

"What happens if there's something wrong with me?"

The Doctor blinked, unsure how to answer.

"What if it's my fault we can't have kids?" Rose continued, eyes beginning to fill with tears.

The Doctor quickly sat on the edge of the bed, holding Rose's hands in his.

"Then we sit down and we discuss all our options. We'll work something out." The Doctor assured his wife, amazed at how calm his voice sounded "But don't worry about that now. Just sleep. We'll sort it tomorrow."

Rose was vaguely aware that she hadn't actually eaten anything yet, but she was feeling sleepy, and the bed was warm and comfy….The last thing she saw before she fell asleep was her husband's concerned face.


	33. Conversations

**A/N: I've been writing this for almost a year now…Wow! Thanks to all of you who've been there since the beginning! Things will start getting better in a few chapters, and Tony will return soon…**

Lungbarrow: Conversations

It had been almost twenty-four hours since Rose's tests at Torchwood, and she and the Doctor had so far managed to successfully avoid both Pete and Jackie. However, they both knew that they couldn't keep it up forever, and that they needed to come to a conclusion of what they would do if something was wrong before talking to Rose's parents. They'd made light conversation at breakfast, and had watched TV for a while, but they both knew they were just stalling for time.

"Rose," the Doctor began suddenly, not looking away from the TV.

"I know." Rose replied, surprising herself with how calm she sounded "We need to talk."

The Doctor sighed and leant forward, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"How do we even start, though?" he asked quietly, gazing over at his wife.

Rose bit her lip and shrugged, unsure. They were both sat on opposite ends of the sofa, as Smoky had claimed the middle seat long before they'd gotten up, and refused to be moved.

"I suppose we start with the prospect that we can't have kids." Rose answered eventually, meeting her husband's eyes.

They both descended into silence, staring at each other.

"Right." The Doctor spoke up after several long moments "So, if we can't have kids…"

"IVF?" Rose suggested.

The Doctor shrugged.

"That'd depend on what's wrong. IVF might not work." He admitted carefully.

Rose nodded and looked away, suddenly becoming rather interested in the photo of her, the Doctor and Tony that was hanging on the wall to her right, away from the Doctor.

"What do we do then?" Rose asked quietly, reluctantly looking over at her husband.

"I don't know." The Doctor admitted softly.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Would we want kids?"

"Sorry?" the Doctor asked, frowning.

The conversation had kind of dwindled when they realised that they really didn't know what they would do if Rose couldn't have children and IVF wouldn't work.

"Would we want kids, if we- I- couldn't have them? You know, like, adoption or something?" Rose asked.

"Would you?" the Doctor countered.

He already knew his answer, but there was no way he would push Rose into something she didn't want. Rose blinked at him.

"Well, I suppose so," Rose answered shyly.

"What were you thinking, then?" the Doctor asked, finally having enough of having Smoky sat between him as he moved the cat.

Smoky meowed in protest, and stalked off to the kitchen. The Doctor quickly moved up and pulled Rose into his side, hugging her to him.

"I dunno," Rose admitted "fostering? Adoption, maybe? I'm not sure what I was thinking."

The Doctor nodded.

"That could work. We'd have to consider moving, though. This apartment isn't the biggest in the world." The Doctor pointed out.

This time, it was Rose's turn to nod.

"Yeah. And we'd have to sort out about work." She added.

The Doctor frowned at that.

"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked in confusion.

"Well, the hours at Torchwood are in no way family-friendly, particularly in the Field Teams. We could be called out at any time, day or night. It's not exactly a stable upbringing for a child. One of us will have to quit." Rose explained.

The Doctor and Rose stared at each other for several moments.

"Well, how do we decide which one of us quits?" the Doctor asked.

The pair sighed and began to rack their brains for a solution. This went on for nearly five minutes before Rose sat up straight, wide-eyed.

"I think I have an idea," she told the Doctor quickly "we could speak to Dad, do alternate shifts. You know, like, we do three days each or something?"

"So we'd both be working part time?" the Doctor realised, nodding.

"Yeah, and then we'll make sure that we both have, I dunno…Saturday or Sunday off together." Rose added.

"That could work," the Doctor conceded "but of course, we don't have the test results back yet."

"Yeah…" Rose murmured, falling silent again rather quickly.

Rose really had no idea how she'd managed to forget about her test results. She'd gotten so excited about the fact that she and the Doctor could make this family thing work that she totally forgotten that there was a huge chance that the child might not even be theirs biologically.

"So that's a plan, then?" the Doctor prompted, kissing Rose on the forehead.

"Yeah." Rose agreed quietly "And I'm really glad we had this conversation."

"Me too, me too." The Doctor replied, smiling gently.

Now all they had to do was tell Jackie and Pete…


	34. Results

**A/N: This chapter may cause triggers for anyone who has experienced miscarriage etc.**

Lungbarrow: Results

Rose was lying in bed, staring up at the darkened bedroom ceiling. She knew she should be sleeping, but she couldn't. She was too worried. Terrified, in fact. She'd been tossing and turning for god knows how long, and the Doctor was still fast asleep beside her. Glancing at the clock, Rose saw that the time was little past two in the morning. She sighed. They were getting her test results today, but the appointment wasn't until one in the afternoon. Rose wondered how exactly she was supposed to last until then. She was a bundle of nervous energy, and all the worst scenarios kept running through her head constantly. She knew that the Doctor was willing to foster or adopt a child if they couldn't have their own children, but Rose couldn't help but feel that she was letting him down. What if he changed his mind and left her? What would she do then? Heaving a deep sigh, Rose rolled over and attempted to go back to sleep.

**~StormWolf10~**

The next time Rose woke, it was almost six thirty. They still had several hours until their appointment with Doctor Howell, but Rose knew she wouldn't be able to sleep any longer. Slipping out of the bed carefully so that the Doctor wouldn't wake, Rose made her way to the bathroom for a warm shower, hoping it would take her mind off of things. It didn't work, but it did pass some time, and when Rose headed back to the bedroom to get dressed, the Doctor was just waking up.

"Rose, it's quarter to seven in the morning! What are you doing up?" the Doctor asked tiredly, watching as his wife hurried around their bedroom getting dressed.

"Couldn't sleep." She replied quietly, not meeting his steady gaze.

The Doctor sighed and climbed out of bed, grabbing some clothes.

"You should have woken me." He told his wife gently, watching Rose carefully as she began applying her makeup.

"Didn't want to worry you." Rose answered, shrugging.

"It will be ok, you know," the Doctor told her, crossing the room to wrap his arms around Rose's waist "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about."

**~StormWolf10~**

Several hours later, Rose and the Doctor were in the Torchwood Infirmary again, only this time, they were in Doctor Howell's office. The Doctor was absentmindedly tapping out an unfathomable rhythm on the wooden desk, holding Rose's hand with his free hand, and neither of them were speaking. Over the past few hours, the Doctor had finally run out of positive comments to say, and they were now trapped in their own thoughts, imagining the worst possible outcomes. Of course, both of them were trying to act brave in front of the other, but both knew that they were terrified. Just then, Doctor Howell entered the cubicle. Her face was grim.

"Well?" the Doctor prompted urgently upon seeing her, sitting forward.

Doctor Howell looked at the couple carefully for a few minutes, before drawing up another chair and sitting behind her desk. Rose's heart sank immediately.

"I'm afraid, Rose, that it's not looking good. The tests picked up on a weakening in your cervix that means your body cannot sustain a foetus for the full gestation period. Because of this, I'm afraid you won't be able to have children." Doctor Howell explained gently.

Rose blinked, numb, and she forced herself to nod in response. She felt the Doctor squeeze her hand reassuringly, but it did little to calm her. Rose was aware of her husband asking about the prospect of IVF, or a surrogate, but every idea the Doctor suggested, Doctor Howell carefully explained that it just wasn't possible.

"Now, I do suggest you look into something like adoption if you are still interested in having children, but that is something you'd need to discuss. I understand that it's a big decision to make, and I'll be more than happy to speak to Mr Tyler and ask for him to let you two have some time off." Doctor Howell continued.

"I think Pete was going to make us take time off anyway," the Doctor admitted, attempting a weak smile "and we had in fact already talked about adoption. I think it's probably something we'll look in to."

"And Rose? Are you happy with this? About considering adoption?" Doctor Howell asked Rose uncertainly, very much aware that she hadn't spoken since entering the office.

"Yeah," Rose replied quietly, although her tone was full of conviction "yeah, it's definitely something to consider."

"Well, you know where I am if you ever want to come and discuss anything," Doctor Howell told them, as they began to stand.

The couple nodded, and Doctor Howell smiled sympathetically at them. It was a lot to take in, Howell knew, and she only hoped that the Doctor and Rose would be alright.


	35. A Family Holiday

**A/N: A nice long chapter for you now! And the return of Tony! All very sweet and fluffy and absolutely no hurt or angst… XD**

Lungbarrow: A Family Holiday

"Let's go to the Lake District!"

"Jackie, do you really think this is the right time to be going on a family holiday?" Pete asked his wife a little incredulously.

Jackie blinked, before glaring at her husband.

"Well, of course this is the right time!" she declared to her husband "I mean, Tony's starting school full time in a few weeks, and it will do the Doctor and Rose some good to get away from it all! Besides, we haven't been to the cottage for, what, two years?"

"But Jaqs, we don't even know if they want to go on holiday," Pete pointed out, sighing "they've just found out that they can't have kids, the last thing they'll want to do is be stuck in the holiday cottage with Tony for a week!"

"We might as well ask," Jackie replied haughtily "and anyway, we've explained it all to Tony, so it's not like he's oblivious. We'll just have to make sure he's on his best behaviour!"

Pete rolled his eyes as his wife reached for the phone and dialled Rose's number.

**~StormWolf10~**

"That was your Mother," the Doctor announced as he dropped back onto the sofa beside Rose.

"What did she want?" Rose asked, although she already knew the answer.

"She wants to know if we want to go on holiday with them to the Lake District. Tony starts school on the 7th of September, so they were thinking of going tomorrow at some time." The Doctor replied.

Rose sighed and looked up at her husband as she leant into his side.

"What do you think?" she asked quietly.

"It's up to you, Rose. We only got the results back a few days ago, and I'm not going to be dragging you off to the Lake District if you don't want to go. But, we do have to consider the fact that your parents are probably finding this hard to deal with, too." The Doctor reminded his wife gently.

They had felt obliged to tell Pete and Jackie almost as soon as they'd gotten Rose's test results back, and Jackie had been beside herself upon hearing the news.

"I… I think we should go." Rose admitted softly.

"Yeah?" the Doctor asked.

Rose nodded.

"We'll take our own car. If it gets a little too much, we can go off on our own, or something. But.. I do think we should go." Rose explained.

The Doctor nodded and reached for the phone again.

"I'll let your parents know."

**~StormWolf10~**

"Is there going to be sheep? An' cows? An' horses? Can I ride a horse, Mummy?!"

Jackie Tyler sighed and heaved her suitcase into the bag of her husband's Lexus.

"I don't know, Tony. We'll have to wait and see," she told her four year old son.

However, Tony seemed oblivious to his Mother's reluctance to talk, as suddenly a familiar car pulled up the gravel drive. As it pulled up and its passengers stepped out, Tony's face lit up with a bright smile and he went running over to them.

"Doctor! Rose!"

"Hello, Private!" Rose told her brother as she lifted the little boy into her arms.

"I've missed you!" Tony announced to his sister as he hugged her tight.

"I've missed you too," Rose assured her brother as he reached for the Doctor.

The Doctor carefully lifted the boy into his arms as Jackie hurried over to her daughter, hugging her.

"You ok?" Jackie asked her daughter gently.

"Yeah. Well, as ok as can be expected," Rose replied, smiling weakly.

By now, Tony was chattering excitedly to the Doctor.

"I'm going to go see where your Dad is; we want to get going soon." Jackie told her daughter, rolling her eyes.

As her mother hurried back inside the house, Rose returned her attention to her husband and younger brother.

"What's all this about?" she asked as she saw Tony talking animatedly.

"Your brother was just telling me how he's going to ride a horse on holiday." The Doctor replied, grinning.

"Ah, well we'll have to wait and see about that, Private," Rose told her younger brother, smirking.

Tony pouted and wriggled out of the Doctor's grip, but before he could find a retort for his sister, Pete and Jackie came out of the house, locking the front door behind them.

"Come on, Tony," Pete announced "we've gotta get you strapped in to your car seat. We're leaving now."

The little boy quickly scampered over to the car and allowed his Dad to help him up into his car seat.

**~StormWolf10~**

They had been driving for nearly two hours before Rose and the Doctor got a phone call from Jackie to say that they were going to pull over at the next service station. When the Doctor and Rose pulled into the car park, they were amused to see Tony stood by the car tugging on his t-shirt and hopping from foot to foot.

"Hi there, Tony. Need the loo?" the Doctor asked the little boy, grinning.

Tony nodded, biting his lip and hopping from foot to foot. He was clearly desperate.

"I did say not to drink all of that bottle of juice, didn't I?" Jackie reminded her son, rolling her eyes.

Jackie seemed to be rooting about in the glove compartment for something, while Pete was fiddling with the Sat Nav.

"Tell you what, Jackie," the Doctor spoke up "how about I run Tony inside to the loo?"

"Are you sure?" Jackie asked, frowning slightly.

"Yeah. I need to stretch my legs anyway." He replied.

Jackie nodded her assent, and the Doctor took the little boy's hand in his larger one, leading him into the service station. Rose followed, insisting she needed to freshen up. The Doctor took Tony into the toilets, and when they were done, they waited for Rose to rejoin them before they headed back to Jackie and Pete. However, that was easier said than done as Tony seemed much more content to stare in the windows of a small toy shop rather than head back to his parents.

"Want to have a look?" Rose asked her little brother.

He nodded eagerly, and grabbed Rose's hand, dragging her inside.

**~StormWolf10~**

"How long does it take to take a four year old to the toilet?" Jackie asked when the Doctor, Rose and Tony finally came back.

Then she saw that Tony was clutching a little red fire engine toy. She blinked.

"We just got him something to make up for not seeing him much the past few weeks." Rose told her Mum as she lifted her brother back into his car seat.

"You didn't have to do that, you two!" Pete chipped in, frowning from inside his car.

"We wanted to," the Doctor replied, smiling.

"Well, don't go spoiling him, you two." Jackie chided her daughter and son in law, smiling slightly.

**~StormWolf10~**

By the time they reached the holiday cottage in Horseclose Wood, they had been driving for nearly five and a half hours. When they pulled up, the Doctor couldn't help but gape; he hadn't yet been to Pete and Jackie's holiday cottage, and he was rather shocked by it.

"I know," Rose replied, smiling at her husband's expression "not what you really expect from my Mum, is it?"

"No." the Doctor answered "It really is a… a cottage!"

The little two storey stone cottage was set back slightly in a small clearing, trees surrounding it. It had an almost picture book quality to it, almost as if it was too perfect to be real.

"It belonged to an old friend of Dad's, and Dad bought it off him when he decided to sell it. It seems really small, but that's mostly because they have the Mansion back in Edmonton." Rose explained, unclipping her seatbelt and sliding out the car.

The Doctor quickly followed suite and climbed out of the car, heading round to the boot to unload their suitcases. Tony was already out of the car and hurrying inside the cottage, wide-eyed.

"I don't think Tony really remembers this place," Rose told the Doctor, glancing over as her brother disappeared inside the house "the last time we came here, he was only about two."

**~StormWolf10~**

That evening, everyone was too tired to really go anywhere, but the next few days, they were all up early. Each day, Jackie and Rose packed up a picnic and they headed into the woods for hours on end. Pete constantly had to call an over-eager Tony back as he scampered ahead of them through the woods. True to Jackie's predictions earlier on in the week, it had truly seemed to help the Doctor and Rose by getting them away from London; in fact, it was the first time in several weeks that Jackie and Pete saw that neither the Doctor nor Rose looked tired or worried. Tony seemed to be enjoying himself too, and certainly kept the four adults busy during their stay. Finally, on the last night, they had a campfire in front of the cottage, even going so far as to find some tree trunks to drag over and sit on. The Doctor and Pete tried (and failed) to cook barbeque food on the campfire, and they finished off the evening with marshmallows. Later in the evening, with the Doctor and Rose sat one side of the campfire, and Jackie and Pete sat the other side, Jackie couldn't help but brag a little.

"I told you it would help them." Jackie murmured to her husband, smirking.

"You did." Pete agreed, smiling.

Tony was struggling to stay awake by this point, although was stubbornly refusing to go to bed. Jackie and Pete watched as, instead, Rose and the Doctor tugged the little boy over to sit between them, his head on Rose's shoulder as he began to give in to sleep.

"You know what?" Pete piped up quietly.

"What?" Jackie asked, frowning as she looked up at her husband.

"I think they're going to be alright." Pete answered simply.

Jackie smiled.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think you're right." She answered, smiling.


	36. Noah

**A/N: A brand new character joining the mix now…Hope you like him XD**

Lungbarrow: Noah

The Doctor and Rose stepped into the Childrens home, looking around somewhat nervously. They had been considering adoption for around two months now, but they had finally decided now, at the end of October, that that was what they wanted to do. There were children of all ages milling about, some stopping to stare at the two new adults, while some didn't notice them, and a few of the teenagers point-blank ignored them.

"Hello!"

The Doctor and Rose both jumped, and noticed that a middle-aged, plump woman was stood in front of them, smiling.

"I'm Marie Jones. You must be Mr and Mrs Lungbarrow, we spoke on the phone?" the woman continued.

Rose and the Doctor merely nodded.

"Good!" Marie declared, clapping her hands together "Now, if you'd like to follow me to my office?"

Marie led the Doctor and Rose along a small corridor and into an office at the end. She gestured for them to sit down, which they did while she seated herself behind her desk.

"I see you're interested in adopting," Marie commented, smiling lightly "did you have a particular age range in mind?"

Rose shook her head.

"No. We, uh, we've recently found out that we can't have kids, so maybe a younger child?" Rose suggested nervously.

"But we would also consider older children," the Doctor added, and Rose nodded furiously.

"I see," Marie told them kindly "well, we normally suggest waiting an average of six months before considering adoption."

"We have had a few miscarriages though," Rose piped up, subconsciously reaching for her husband's hand "so we'd kind of already started discussing other options."

Marie nodded, smiling gently, and began flipping through several files on the desk.

"Well, as you probably saw when you came in, we have quite a number of children here," Marie told them "and there's a few that we're having a bit of trouble getting adopted,"

She pulled a few files from the pile and flipped through them.

"Yes," Marie murmured, seemingly more to herself "some of these children might be more suitable for you." She then raised her voice and addressed the Doctor and Rose. "Were you thinking of a boy or a girl?"

"Either," the Doctor answered quickly.

"Yeah," Rose agreed "we really don't mind."

"Well," Marie announced, laughing "that certainly makes my job easier!"

**~StormWolf10~**

Just over fifteen minutes later, Marie led the Doctor and Rose from the office to go and meet some of the children. Partway down the corridor, a little boy a year or two younger than Tony was sat on the floor on his own. He had light brown hair and wide brown eyes that reminded Rose of her little brother, but he was awfully skinny.

"That's Noah Smith," Marie announced, smiling at the little boy as she passed him "he's been here just over three days now."

Rose and the Doctor smiled at the little boy, who merely gazed back, and Marie continued down the corridor.

"Hello," the Doctor told the little boy, crouching down in front of him "I'm the Doctor. You're Noah, yeah?"

Noah nodded, wide-eyed.

"Why aren't you playing with any of the other children?" the Doctor asked, frowning.

Noah shrugged, clutching a soft toy bear to his chest.

"Is this your bear?" the Doctor asked, sitting beside Noah.

By now, Marie had realised that the Lungbarrows weren't following her, and she had retraced her steps to find them again. Noah nodded in response to the Doctor's question.

"I used to have a bear like this." the Doctor told Noah conversationally "We-ell," he amended suddenly "it wasn't a bear, exactly. More of a Terranean Cat-Weasel. And it was bright green…"

Rose rolled her eyes at her husband, but Noah giggled.

"You're funny!" Noah told the Doctor suddenly, grinning.

"I suppose so," the Doctor agreed.

When he looked up, he saw that Marie was watching the conversation with wide eyes.

"What?" the Doctor and Rose asked at the same time, both frowning.

"Noah's been with us three days and that's the first thing he's said! His social worker brought him in and gave us his name and everything, but he's never spoken!" Marie answered, wide-eyed.

Noah merely blinked at the woman before returning his gaze to the Doctor and Rose and smiling.

**~StormWolf10~**

In the end, the Doctor and Rose stayed at the Childrens home for a while longer, chatting and playing with Noah and a few of the other children who were up for adoption. Soon, though, the Doctor and Rose had to head home, although they were kindly informed by Marie that they could have as long as they liked to decide if they were going to be adopting any of the children.

"Of course," Marie had explained "if you do decide to adopt, we will schedule an appointment to visit your house and check everything out,"

The Doctor and Rose had nodded and bade goodbye at that point, and much of the ride home was in silence. But both of them knew that decision time was looming…


	37. Decision Time

**A/N: Another chapter! Not much Tony in this one, and no Noah, but he will most certainly be back XD Read and Review!**

Lungbarrow: Decision Time

The Doctor and Rose stood on the doorstep of the Tyler Mansion, waiting in silence for the door to be answered. The Doctor struggled under the weight of the large box, almost dropping it. It was November 7th, Tony's fifth birthday, but that wasn't the only reason they were calling. Soon enough, they heard footsteps on the other side of the door, and the front door was flung open to reveal Jackie.

"Rose! Doctor!" Jackie greeted "Come in, come in."

They were quickly ushered into the entrance hall, where they stood awkwardly.

"We…Um…We need to speak to you and Dad," Rose piped up suddenly as Jackie bustled around them taking their coats "after we've given Tony his present."

Jackie stopped in her tracks and looked at her daughter carefully, all colour draining from her face.

"It's nothing bad, Mum, honest." Rose assured her Mum quickly.

"It's all good, Jackie." The Doctor added "We just need yours and Pete's help with something."

Jackie nodded and quickly hung their coats up before leading them into the sitting room where Pete and Tony were. Tony hurried over to his sister, hugging her tight and grinning when the Doctor handed him his present and smirking when he saw that the box was very nearly the same height as Tony.

"Are you enjoying school, Tony?" the Doctor asked, sitting on the sofa as he watched Tony rip into his present eagerly.

Tony nodded, but was far more preoccupied with his present. As he unwrapped his present, the five year old's face lit up, and Jackie and Pete leant forward to see what it was.

"A scalectrix!" Pete exclaimed, chuckling.

He was soon on the floor with his five year old son, helping him to set it up.

**~StormWolf10~**

A while later, with Tony's new scalectrix up and running, Jackie thought it best to tell Pete that their daughter wanted to speak to them while the little boy was preoccupied.

"The Doctor and Rose need to speak to us." Jackie explained quietly.

Pete nodded, noting the paleness of his wife's face.

"Tony, why don't you carry on playing with your scalectrix on your own for a bit? Your Mother and I are just going to go and speak with the Doctor and Rose in my study." Pete told the little boy.

Tony looked to be about to protest, but a stern look from his father told him that this was no time for arguments. The four adults headed up the stairs to Pete's study in silence, and once there, they seated themselves quickly.

"What is it you two wanted to speak to us about?" Pete asked, watching his daughter and son in law carefully.

"Do you remember us mentioning that we were considering adoption?" the Doctor began awkwardly.

Pete and Jackie nodded, seeming to relax when they realised that it really wasn't anything bad.

"Well, the Doctor and I contacted a social worker about a month ago, and we went to a Childrens home a few days ago to meet some of the children up for adoption there." Rose explained, not missing how her parents' faces lit up the more she spoke. She reached for her husband's hand as she continued to talk "We've decided that we want to adopt a little boy called Noah, but before we can adopt him, we want to move. We need to get a house, or something, and we really don't have the money to do it. I know when we bought the apartment, you offered to help us buy a place, and we don't want to take advantage, but…"

"Say nothing more," Pete interrupted, reaching in his desk drawer "do you have a particular area in mind?"

"We were considering Greenwich, because of how near it is to Torchwood," the Doctor explained "but we also were considering areas like Edmonton and Chingford so that you can see Noah more, and he and Tony can get to know each other better. We've seen houses in all three areas that would be suitable."

Jackie beamed at that, while Pete attempted to remain business-like- although a small smile did slip out.

"I see," Pete replied calmly "well, we'd be happy to help out."

"When are you thinking of moving?" Jackie asked.

"Well, we'd like to have Noah with us by Christmas, but that depends on how fast we can find a house." Rose answered.

"And have you got to tell the social worker that you're definitely adopting him by a certain time?" Jackie continued, uncertain how these things worked.

"No," the Doctor replied "Noah knows that we are considering adopting him, but there's no deadline. Nonetheless, Rose and I feel we're coming to the end of our decision time, because there's only so long you can keep a boy of Noah's age waiting with no hope."

"How old is Noah?" Pete asked, curious.

"He's three." Rose replied "His Mum died when he was born, and his Dad really didn't care about him. Barely fed him at all. The social workers got him out just in time."

"His father beat him?" Jackie asked in concern.

"No," Rose answered, shaking her head "he just ignored him. Saw him more as a hindrance. Never payed him much attention. That's probably why he's so quiet."

"Well, leave the house details with me and I'll see how fast I can get the deal through," Pete told his daughter and son in law gently.

They thanked him quickly and soon the four adults were back downstairs with Tony.


	38. Moving House

**A/N: I have taken a little artistic license here, as Pete and Jackie's Mansion most likely isn't in Edmonton, but it had to go somewhere in London… Let's just pretend Edmonton's different in the parallel world :P**

Lungbarrow: Moving House

Unlike its parallel twin in Jackie and Rose's original world, Edmonton in Pete's World was rather rural at first glance- due to its lack of buildings and expanses of privately owned land-, though it was very expensive. There were very few houses there, especially compared to other areas of London, and all the houses were similar to Pete and Jackie's, although the sizes did vary slightly, and most of the occupants were millionaires. The Doctor and Rose had been reluctant about the area at first, as although they'd be near Rose's parents, the houses seemed ridiculously large for a working family with just one child. Nonetheless, it happened to be the area that Pete had managed to rush a house deal through in (although Rose had a suspicion that was partly due to Jackie and Pete's determination to have their adopted grandson nearer to them), and so they were packing up the things from their Tower Hamlets apartment to make the move to Edmonton.

"I still can't believe Mum and Dad did that," Rose muttered in annoyance as she packed up their CDs and DVDs.

"We did kind of ask them to do that," the Doctor pointed out, shrugging.

"We were asking them for _some_ of the money! They went and payed for the whole bloody house!" Rose shot back.

The Doctor didn't have a reply for that. Indeed, when Pete had rushed the deal through, he had conveniently forgotten to mention to the Doctor and Rose that he and Jackie had payed for the entirety of the house up front. Of course, the house was still in the Doctor's and Rose's names, but they didn't have a mortgage to pay. Normally, any young couple would love this, but Rose was still furious that her parents had gone behind their backs like that.

"I think they did it so we'd have more money for Noah." The Doctor piped up quietly, watching Rose warily.

Rose looked up, frowning at her husband.

"How expensive do they think Noah's going to be?" Rose asked incredulously "The apartment sold for nearly £250,000. We won't spend that much on him!"

The Doctor shrugged.

"Maybe they did it so we can buy more furniture?" the Doctor suggested "I mean, we don't exactly have enough to furnish the house at the moment, and we have nothing for Noah."

Rose sighed, realising her husband was right. Moving from a small but expensive two bed apartment into a (rather large) five bedroom house would mean a lot of redecorating and refurnishing. Not to mention that their soon-to-be-son had little more than the clothes on his back.

"I know they meant well," Rose admitted after several long seconds "but the house was nearly £750,000. Plus Mum's insisting that we don't pay them back, but I'm not sure I'd be able to live with that…"

"Let me speak to your Dad," the Doctor suggested gently "we might be able to come to an arrangement."

**~StormWolf10~**

However, several days later it was moving day, and the Doctor still hadn't had the chance to discuss the house payments with Pete. Soon, after a frankly traumatic experience with the removal van- the Doctor had insisted on just renting one and driving it himself, and Jackie had offered herself up to give directions, resulting in several arguments and wrong turns before they finally reached the house nearly forty-five minutes after Pete, Rose and Tony- the Doctor and Rose were unloading their furniture into their very own Edmonton home. Although it was a great deal smaller than the Tyler Mansion- and didn't hold the 'Mansion' title - it was still a rather large house. The downstairs was made up of an entrance hall, two large reception rooms, a family bathroom, a very large kitchen (that Rose suspected was at least the size of the whole flat she had spent her first nineteen years of life living in) and a dining room; upstairs consisted of another family bathroom, a master bedroom with en suite, four smaller (but still rather large) bedrooms, a study and a music room. There was also an attic and a basement. Once all their furniture was in, the Doctor and Rose couldn't help but notice that there was still an awful lot of empty space, and realised that they would have to buy a lot more furniture.

"But we don't need to worry about all the bedrooms yet," Rose pointed out "as long as ours and Noah's have the bedroom furniture in, we can redecorate at a later date."

"And my room!" Tony piped up, appearing beside his sister's legs.

"And your room," the Doctor and Rose agreed in unison.

It had been agreed that Tony would still have a bedroom at his sister's, partially due to the fact they didn't want the five year old to feel that he was being forgotten about or ignored in favour of Noah, and also in an attempt to get Tony and Noah to be friends. Of course, Tony was a little sceptical about this new little boy, particularly since his parents had explained that he'd had a different Mummy and Daddy, but now Rose and the Doctor were to be his Mummy and Daddy. Upon hearing that, Tony had demanded to know why this little boy got two lots of parents, and Pete and Jackie had explained about Noah's past as best they could. This seemed to have placated Tony slightly, but the adults knew that he still might be a little reluctant to mingle with the little boy who would be his adopted nephew.

**~StormWolf10~**

It was hours before Jackie and Pete finally left the Doctor and Rose alone in their new home, and that was only because Tony was growing tired and teary. Once they'd said goodbye to Rose's parents, the Doctor and Rose curled up on their sofa in the front room. All of their possessions looked so much smaller in the new house; the rooms were larger, and the items of furniture that had fitted so perfectly into the Tower Hamlets apartment now looked dwarfed and ill-matched in their new home. But of course, they could live with a TV that looked rather lost on the large blank wall, and a sofa that sat awkwardly in the middle of the room. Because the Doctor and Rose were one step closer to getting a family…


	39. A New Addition to the Family

**A/N: The chapter everyone's been waiting for (or not, as the case may be)… Read and Review!**

Lungbarrow: A New Addition to the Family

Noah held the Doctor's and Rose's hands tight as they waited outside the Tyler Mansion. The Doctor and Rose had finalised the adoption and taken Noah home the evening before, and it was now time for him to meet his new grandparents. The little boy was wrapped in a brand new dark green coat with a Bob the Builder hat, scarf and gloves. They had had to venture to a supermarket on the way to Jackie's and Pete's due to the fact that little Noah had never been bought a coat, and as it was the end of November, he really needed one. The front door was flung open, revealing a rather excited Jackie, with Pete not far behind. Jackie quickly ushered them inside.

"You must be Noah," Jackie told the little boy, smiling warmly at him.

Noah nodded as the Doctor helped him out of his outdoor clothing before Rose lifted him onto her hip.

"Noah, this is Jackie, she's my Mummy," Rose explained carefully, watching the little boy to make sure he understood.

Noah seemed to be thinking very hard about something before looking at Rose, at Jackie, and then back at Rose.

"My Gran?" he asked quietly.

Rose saw Jackie's face light up at that, and she couldn't help but grin too. By now, the Doctor had reappeared at their side, and he was grinning too.

"If you'd like, yeah, Noah." The Doctor assured the little boy, smoothing the boy's slightly too long light brown hair.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Tony, this is Noah," the Doctor announced "he's mine and Rose's adopted son."

The Doctor was crouched beside Noah in the Tyler's entrance hall, one arm round the little boy's waist to reassure him. Tony merely looked at the strange little boy in front of him before doing what he always saw his father do when greeting new people; he shook Noah's hand.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Tony." Tony introduced himself politely, remembering everything his parents had taught him to do at their Vitex parties.

Still a little wary of the much bigger boy in front of him, Noah smiled back uncertainly, before his eyes darted to the archway leading to the Tyler's kitchen, where he knew Rose was.

"Now, Tony, you'll be seeing a lot of Noah, and he'll be round her a lot, so do you think you would show him around him around while your sister and I talk to your parents?" the Doctor asked.

Tony nodded eagerly and took Noah's hand.

"Come on, I'll show you the tree house!" Tony exclaimed, tugging Noah towards the kitchen to lead him out into the garden.

Noah's face lit up in delight, and he allowed the older boy to lead him through to the garden. The Doctor followed the two children through to the kitchen before joining Rose, Jackie and Pete there while they watched the two children run across the grass to the tree house.

"Tony and Noah seem to be getting on alright," the Doctor told the other three adults as Rose handed him a cup of tea.

"I still can't believe what he said earlier!" Jackie replied, still smiling.

"Yeah, we weren't expecting him to start calling everyone stuff like 'Mum' and 'Gran' until at least Christmas," the Doctor continued, grinning "we were expecting him to need some time to settle in first, but he was calling Rose and I 'Mummy' and 'Daddy' by this morning."

"It's good though," Pete pointed out "it means that he's already settling in."

Rose nodded in agreement.

"We still need to take him shopping for more clothes tomorrow, he really didn't have much. We need to get his hair cut too, but that isn't as urgent," Rose mused, speaking more to herself than everyone else in the room.

Out of the kitchen window, they could see that the two young boys had made it to the top of the tree house now, and could just be seen as they crawled further into their little blue hideout.

**~StormWolf10~**

When Jackie called Tony and Noah in for lunch, the two boys immediately began to protest. However, when Jackie revealed that there may in fact be cookies up for grabs, they were soon scrambling down the ladder. Jackie merely shook her head, chuckling, and headed back into the kitchen to finish helping Pete with lunch. The four adults had just brought the lunch over to the dining room table when there was a sudden scream from outside. Abandoning the lunch, the Doctor was first out the back door, quickly followed by Rose and Pete. Jackie hurried out after them, but wasn't quite as fast. Upon seeing what had happened, the Doctor ran faster through the garden, dropping to his knees beside Noah, who was on the floor crying. Tony was hovering nervously near the little boy, and looked rather shaken. As the Doctor lifted Noah into his arms and checked him over for injuries, Pete checked his own son over.

"What happened?" Rose demanded her little brother urgently, kneeling beside her husband and son.

"We were almost at the bottom of the ladder and Noah must have slipped. Then he was on the ground!" Tony explained hurriedly, eyes filled with tears.

Jackie sighed and gathered her son into her arms.

"It wasn't my fault, I swear!" Tony continued, beginning to cry.

"We know, son," Pete assured Tony gently "but I think Noah might be a little too small to climb up and down to the tree house on his own."

Tony frowned at that, and glanced at the little boy who was now quietly sniffling in the Doctor's arms as he and Rose whispered gently to Noah to calm him.

"But I'm ok in the tree house!" Tony argued.

"I know, Tony, but Noah's a lot smaller than you are. We're not saying you can't play in the tree house together, but I think we'll have to make sure that either me or your father, or the Doctor or Rose are with you so we can help him up and down the ladder. It won't be for long. He'll grow, and then you two can be up there on your own." Jackie told her son.

Tony sniffed and wiped his arm on his sleeve, but after glancing at Noah again, nodded in agreement. Just then, the Doctor and Rose both straightened up, the Doctor holding Noah on his hip. Noah was slightly puffy-eyed and his face was tearstained, his hair even messier than before, but he'd certainly calmed down.

"Now then, shall we go and get you cleaned up and then go get some lunch?" Rose suggested to her son.

Noah brightened up at that, and nodded.

"Go on then," the Doctor told the little boy, passing him with Rose "you go with Mummy and get cleaned up and I'll see you in a minute, yeah?"

Noah gladly went to Rose, immediately looping his arms round her neck. As Rose began to carry the three year old back inside, the Doctor, Pete, Jackie and Tony walked back at a slower pace.

"Noah's alright then?" Jackie asked in concern.

The Doctor nodded.

"Yeah, he can't have fell more than a foot at most; he's got a couple of scrapes and bruises, but nothing serious." The Doctor explained.

**~StormWolf10~**

Soon, everyone was seated round the dining room table, eating lunch. Jackie and Pete couldn't help but notice that Noah seemed rather taken with his new parents, and was more than happy to sit on the Doctor's lap while he ate. The little boy seemed a little unsure of most of the food, and was warily nibbling on bits and pieces, but the Doctor had reminded Pete and Jackie before the meal that Noah's biological father hadn't fed him much more than he had to, so there was probably quite a lot of food that Noah hadn't tried before. Tony was chattering away, mainly to Noah- who was rather politely nodding every now and then, though he seemed more distracted by all the food in front of him- but he was content for anyone to listen to him. Once the meal was finished, the two boys slid to the ground and hurried off to Tony's bedroom, Tony eager to show Noah his scalectrix. As the four adults began clearing away the lunch things, the Doctor caught his wife's eye and grinned. Rose beamed back.


	40. A DIY Disaster

**A/N: Chapter forty! Cannot believe this story has gotten this far… o_O**

Lungbarrow: A DIY Disaster

The Doctor dipped his paintbrush into the paint again as he carefully painted the wall just above where it met the skirting board. He hadn't realised that painting a room could take so long, and he glanced over at Noah to see if the little boy was ok. Noah looked as if he'd been dipped in the green paint, although the Doctor suspected that he looked much the same, and he had even succeeded in getting it in his newly-cut light brown hair. Nonetheless, the little boy seemed happy as he slopped paint onto the walls of his new bedroom, covering up the beige that had been there previously. Noah had been with the Doctor and Rose for about four full days now, and had settled in quite happily. He was still fairly quiet, and wasn't entirely sure about some types of food, but his confidence was growing in leaps and bounds- possibly because he'd spent the whole weekend playing with Tony at the Tyler Mansion.

"You alright over there, Noah?" the Doctor asked the little boy, smiling slightly.

"Yeah." Noah replied simply.

The Doctor glanced over again and saw that Noah was still slopping paint on the wall, his tongue poking out his mouth in a way that generally meant that little children were concentrating very very hard.

"When's Mummy home?" Noah piped up suddenly, glancing over at his father.

The Doctor looked over at the large wall clock they'd bought for Noah's room. Although it wasn't on the wall yet, they'd put batteries in it so that while the Doctor was doing a spot of DIY in Noah's room, he could keep an eye on the time.

"In about an hour," the Doctor answered.

Well, that's what he hoped, at least. Since getting Noah, the Doctor and Rose had been working part time, with Rose working on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday while the Doctor worked on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. They both had Sundays off to be with Noah, and Pete had appointed Owen and Arthur as second-in-command of their respective Field Teams for the days when the Doctor and Rose weren't in. However, today Rose had managed to get Arthur to cover for her for half the day, meaning that she should be finishing soon, and on her way home in time for lunch at one o'clock. As the Doctor finished off painting his patch of wall, he stood up, wincing when he saw how much paint he'd gotten on himself. Deciding not to worry too much about it now, he began gathering up the left over paint and paint brushes just as Noah carefully finished off his section of wall.

"There we are!" the Doctor announced as Noah turned round, grinning "Now, are you going to come and help me wash the paintbrushes up?"

Noah nodded again, and the Doctor took the boy's hand, leading him out of the room and along the corridor to the staircase. As he went down the stairs, the Doctor was sure to make sure the little boy could keep up, and they were soon in the kitchen.

**~StormWolf10~**

"I'm home!" Rose called as she stepped into the entrance hall.

She heard the Doctor call back from the kitchen, and went to hang her coat up in the small coat cupboard built into the entrance hall when she spotted them. Small, green handprints up the wall of the staircase. Rose rolled her eyes and headed into the kitchen.

"You're home early," the Doctor noted, smiling as she came in.

"Yeah, we'd finished the meeting earlier than expected and Arthur said he'd cover for me." Rose explained, giving her husband a kiss.

She then swept Noah from the chair he was stood on up into her arms for a cuddle. The little boy laughed and squirmed, but seemed more than content with the action. And then Rose looked at her son carefully.

"Why are you covered in green paint?" she asked Noah, raising an eyebrow.

Noah merely giggled and grinned impishly.

"Doctor, why is Noah covered in paint? And why are you covered in green paint, for that matter?" Rose asked her husband.

"We were painting Noah's bedroom." The Doctor replied, frowning slightly "I did tell you that that's what I planned to do today. We said we were going to get all the DIY stuff in Noah's room done and out of the way so he'd have a proper little bedroom."

"Yeah, but I didn't expect to come home and find that you'd painted yourselves too!" Rose replied, a smile tugging at her lips.

"In my defence, I wasn't expecting you home yet; we were going to clean up the paintbrushes and then I was going to put Noah in the bath and get him clean again." The Doctor told his wife.

Rose smirked.

"Actually, that leads me to another question; why does the staircase wall have little green handprints down it?" Rose asked.

The Doctor's eyes widened and he suddenly went running from the kitchen. Rose, chuckling slightly, followed with Noah still in her arms. Upon seeing the damage he'd done, Noah giggled.

"Uh oh!" he announced.

The Doctor and Rose looked at the three year old for several seconds before beginning to laugh.

**~StormWolf10~**

Once Noah and the Doctor were clean and in new clothes, they set to work putting up the small floating shelves in Noah's room. Noah was quite content to sit on his bed- that, like his carpet, was still covered in protective plastic sheets- and watch his parents as they struggled to understand the instructions that came with the shelves.

"I'm telling you, Doctor, I can't find the English instructions!" Rose exclaimed, turning the crumpled, folded piece of A1 paper over and over in her hands as she frantically scanned the minute print "Look, I can read them to you in Finnish, or Danish, or Welsh, or Italian, but not in English!"

"Can't be. You're probably just looking in the wrong place." The Doctor replied, taking the instructions from Rose and slipping his glasses onto his nose.

After several minutes, the Doctor cast the instructions aside and stood up, a floating shelf in one hand and a- very much normal- screwdriver in the other.

"Did you find the instructions then?" Rose asked, watching him from where she was kneeling on the floor.

"Nah," the Doctor replied offhandedly "but I don't need instructions. I hunt aliens for a living, I think I can handle putting up a shelf."

**~StormWolf10~**

Half an hour later, there was a large crack in the wall where Noah's shelf was meant to be.

"That went well," Rose commented dryly.

"Ye-ah," the Doctor agreed slowly, grimacing "I think that was a bit of a DIY disaster."

"A bit?" Rose echoed, chuckling.

The Doctor grimaced.


	41. A Picnic in December

**A/N: A new chapter! This one has taken longer than expected to write, so apologies for the delay. Hope you enjoy!**

Lungbarrow: A Picnic in December

"What's that?" Noah asked, wrinkling his nose and poking warily at the contents of his plate.

"It's egg, Noah. You've had it before. You liked it." Rose told her son as she sat beside him at the dining room table.

Noah continued to poke at his egg, evidently confused by its different appearance.

"Doesn't look like egg." He stated, looking up at his Mum with wide eyes.

"That's because last time, you had eggs and soldiers," Rose answered, smiling slightly "that's a fried egg."

Noah blinked and looked down at his breakfast again. He was still staring at the offending egg when the Doctor joined them, a mug of tea in one hand and a plate of bacon and eggs in the other.

"Still not sure, huh, buddy?" the Doctor asked, grinning at his son from across the table.

Noah shook his head.

"Just try a bit," Rose suggested "and if you don't like it, you can just eat your bacon."

Slowly, Noah reached for his fork and tried a bit of the egg.

"Tastes the same." Noah piped up, looking at his parents.

"Well, not quite the same, but yeah, I suppose you're right," the Doctor conceded.

He and Rose glanced at each other, both barely able to hold their laughter as Noah began shovelling down his breakfast.

**~StormWolf10~**

Sundays tended to be rather dull and slow, the Doctor mused, and today was no different. Of course, today was the Doctor and Rose's one day off together with Noah, and they wanted to do something special with the little boy, as he had only been with them for nine days now. However, as could only be expected for early December, the weather was cold, grey and wet. Noah didn't seem to mind, but the Doctor and Rose were at a loss.

"We could take him to Mum and Dad's?" Rose suggested uncertainly "But I don't really want to do that; I mean, it's our first proper weekend with just us three."

The Doctor hummed in agreement, brow crinkled as he thought hard.

"Have we got any games in the house?" He asked "Get him to draw a picture, or something?"

"Yeah, but that won't occupy him for the whole day, will it?" Rose pointed out.

The Doctor's eyes widened suddenly, and he beamed. He'd evidently just had an idea.

"Rose, how much food do we have in the house?" he asked hurriedly.

"Plenty. Why do you want to know?" Rose asked, frowning at her husband in confusion.

"Because, we're going to have a picnic!" the Doctor exclaimed.

"A picnic?" Rose repeated sceptically.

"Yes!" the Doctor answered, grinning from ear to ear.

"A picnic in December?" Rose asked, frowning.

"We can have it in the front room!" the Doctor explained, still beaming "We'll just put out a load of food that Noah hasn't tried yet, and we can sit in the front room and watch films! That way, he'll be trying new food but will be so busy watching TV he won't put up a fight about eating it!"

Before Rose could reply, the Doctor went haring out of the room.

**~StormWolf10~**

Just over half an hour later, the floor of the front room was covered in cushions, blankets and bowls of food. Noah was quite happily snuggled between his parents as they began to watch a stack of Disney DVDs. The trio had just settled down when a grey blur came haring in, jumping onto Rose's lap.

"Oh, hello, Smoky! Where've you been hiding?" Rose asked the cat as he settled himself on her lap.

The cat merely purred in response, and Noah giggled, reaching out to smooth the cat. Noah hadn't had much time to be around Smoky, as the poor cat seemed slightly put out; he had been sent to a cattery along with Marmalade while the Doctor, Rose, Jackie, Pete and Tony were in the Lake District, and then only two months later had been moved to a large house with a small child. The Doctor insisted that Smoky had been 'ignoring us because he thought we were ignoring him', but Rose still refused to believe that her husband spoke cat. Smoky, had of course, been eating his food, but had evidently only been eating it when no one was around so he wouldn't be seen. Suddenly, Noah tugged on the Doctor's arm.

"Daddy, can I have a drink?" he asked quietly.

"Sure, buddy, what do you want?" the Doctor asked, beginning to stand.

"Juice, please." The little boy replied, grinning.

The Doctor hurried back out to the kitchen, quickly pouring Noah a drink before rejoining them. Noah took the glass gratefully, drinking deep from it. At some point while the Doctor had been in the kitchen, the little boy had moved to sit between Rose's legs, Smoky now curled up on one of the cushions.

"What food do you wanna try first, buddy?" the Doctor asked Noah as he sat down on the floor again.

Noah shrugged, handing Rose his blue plastic cup so she could put it on the floor where he couldn't knock it over. Noah eyed the food warily.

"How about we move the food closer and you can help yourself while we watch the film, yeah?" Rose suggested.

Noah nodded in silence, and looked a little worried at the prospect of trying unknown food.

**~StormWolf10~**

However, nearly forty minutes later, Noah was happily trying all sorts of food, far too distracted by the movie to actually realise what he was eating. So far, the little boy had quite happily eaten several pieces of coconut, some cherry tomatoes, and popcorn. It was admittedly a strange combination, but at least Noah was now trying new food.

"Noah, do you want to try some of this?" the Doctor asked the little boy suddenly, reaching for the bowl of broken up chocolate.

Noah peered into the bowl uncertainly before looking at his Dad.

"What is it?" Noah asked quietly.

"It's chocolate." The Doctor told the boy, brow furrowing slightly "Haven't you had chocolate before?"

Noah shook his head and Rose reached over to pick up some of the chocolate pieces.

"Try it," Rose told her son, holding her hand in front of her son so he could pick it up from her hand "you'll probably like it, sweetheart,"

Noah still looked a little unsure, and he reached for one of the smallest pieces of chocolate in Rose's hand. He stared at it for a few moments before finally putting it in his mouth. Needless to say, by the end of the film, there was no chocolate left.


	42. Christmas Shopping

**A/N: Nice little chapter with just Rose and Noah here. Enjoy!**

Lungbarrow: Christmas Shopping

Rose sighed, lifting Noah up onto her hip as she began to make her way through the crowds of shoppers. She'd hoped it wouldn't be too busy on a Thursday morning, but she'd evidently been wrong; the department store was full of Christmas shoppers. Little Noah had his arms wrapped round Rose's neck, clinging to her tight. He had been with the Doctor and Rose for nearly two weeks now, and Christmas was fast approaching.

"Sorry about this, Noah, but we do need to make a start on the Christmas shopping." Rose told her son.

Noah nodded, and Rose set off into the department store.

**~StormWolf10~**

They had been Christmas shopping for nearly an hour now, and Rose had managed to find presents for her parents and her brother. Of course, she was ordering Noah's presents over the internet so the little boy didn't see them before Christmas, and they were being delivered to Jackie and Pete's house for the same reason. Nonetheless, Rose wanted to take this opportunity to buy the Doctor's presents as she wanted Noah to pick his own present for his father.

"Now, Noah, what do you want to get your Daddy?" Rose asked her son gently.

Noah's brow furrowed as he thought hard for a few moments. Then, his face lit up as he seemed to spot something. He began struggling in his Mum's grip, and Rose rather reluctantly let the little boy slide to the floor. Noah set off through the store, and Rose quickly hurried after him, pushing the already rather full trolley as she went. She was regretting now not sitting Noah in the little plastic seat, but he'd began struggling when she tried to sit him in it, and she didn't want a scene, so she'd opted to carry him. Luckily, Noah hadn't strayed too far, and Rose couldn't help but grin when she saw what the little boy was struggling to pull off the rack. She quickly closed the gap between them, dragging the trolley with her as she helped the little boy pluck the t-shirt from the rack.

"You wanna get this for Daddy?" Rose asked Noah.

Noah grinned and nodded, and Rose couldn't help but grin back. She was glad, of course, that the Doctor had taken to wearing more jeans and t-shirts since being on Pete's world- although he did wear the occasional suit still- and couldn't wait to see him in the t-shirt Noah had picked out for him.

"Tell you what; shall we see if there's anything else you want to get Daddy too, yeah? Then he'll have two things to open." Rose suggested to Noah.

Noah's face lit up at that.

"Yeah!" he exclaimed, looking wildly round the store before setting off in another direction.

Rose groaned and hurried to keep up, vowing not to lose sight of the little brown-haired boy in the busy department store.

**~StormWolf10~**

Nearly two hours later, Noah was sat at the breakfast bar in the kitchen as he happily put the finishing touches to his work of art.

"Finished?" Rose asked, watching the little boy over the rim of her mug.

Noah nodded eagerly before looking at his hands.

"Messy." He announced, showing his Mum his hands.

Indeed, his small hands were covered in varying shades of blue paint. He wasn't as mucky as when he and the Doctor had painted his bedroom, which Rose was thankful for, but he still needed cleaning up. Rose quickly put her mug on the breakfast bar and lifted Noah onto her hip, crossing to the kitchen sink. Noah obediently washed his hands as Rose held him up to the sink, and he'd soon scrubbed the paint off. Rose lowered the little boy to the ground and reached for a tea towel to dry his hands off.

"Now, we can't tell Daddy what we bought for him today, ok?" Rose told her son as she helped him dry his hands.

Noah nodded, a serious look on his little face.

"Also, we can't tell Gran or Granddad or Tony what we bought them either, ok? Because otherwise it will spoil their surprise at Christmas." Rose continued.

Again, Noah nodded.

"Come on then," Rose said, straightening up and offering Noah her hand "let's go watch a film. We can leave your painting to dry and then you can help me hide it before Daddy gets home."


	43. Cookery Classes

**A/N: New chapter! This is a little shorter than previous chapters, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!**

Lungbarrow: Cookery Classes

It was December 15th and the Doctor was at home with Noah. It was mid-afternoon on a Tuesday, so Rose was at work, and the weather was dull and grey outside. He had taken Noah out the day before to buy Rose's Christmas presents, so they were very much in a Christmassy mood. And so, the Doctor decided exactly what he was going to do with Noah today.

"Noah," the Doctor called over to the little boy, who was currently colouring at the breakfast bar while the Doctor did the washing up from lunch "how would you like to do some cooking today?"

The little boy looked up, grinning at his father as he nodded eagerly.

"Yeah? We could make some mince pies!" the Doctor continued, heading to the fridge to begin collecting the ingredients.

"For Mummy?" Noah asked, watching his father.

"Well yeah. But they're for us too!" the Doctor replied indignantly, glancing at his son round the fridge door.

**~StormWolf10~**

Ten minutes later, the Doctor and Noah were stood side by side (Noah, albeit, on a chair), the sleeves of their jumpers rolled up to past their elbows and their hands scrubbed clean. The ingredients was scattered across the work surfaces. A jar of mincemeat, plain flour, castor sugar, butter, eggs and milk covered the worktop, as well as a twelve-hole pie tin and a mixing bowl. The scales sat next to the mixing bowl, and there was a wooden spoon beside it.

"This should be easy enough," the Doctor murmured, looking at the ingredients "I've cooked for the king of Belgium."

Noah blinked and looked up at his Dad.

"Will Mummy mind?" the little boy asked, brow furrowed.

"No! Of course not! Well… If we clean up the mess before she gets home…" the Doctor announced, smile faltering. He suddenly grinned again and looked down at his son "Ready for your cookery classes, Noah?"

Noah nodded eagerly, and the Doctor began to gather the ingredients together, tipping the butter and flour into the mixing bowl.

"Now then, Noah, your hands are clean, yeah?" the Doctor asked the little boy.

Noah nodded seriously, showing his Dad his hands.

"Good! Now, just copy what I do, ok?" the Doctor told Noah, grinning.

The Doctor began rubbing the flour and butter between his fingers, mixing it up and making it into fine crumbs. Noah, delighted at an excuse to get dirty, quickly stuck his hands in and began copying his Dad. Once that was done, they added the egg and the Doctor helped Noah mix it in with the crumbs, although Noah struggled slightly with the large mixing bowl.

"This is going to take forever…" the Doctor muttered.

Noah looked up at his father, wide-eyed.

"I know!" the Doctor exclaimed suddenly, diving for the kitchen cupboards "We must have an electric whisk in here somewhere…"

**~StormWolf10~**

"Hello?" Rose called as she stepped into the house "Are you home?"

She heard a muffled yelp from the kitchen, and the sound of cupboard doors banging shut. Rose frowned, and quickly abandoned her coat and bag in the coat cupboard before crossing the entrance hall to the kitchen.

"What's happened in here?" she asked sternly, hands on hips as she surveyed the mess.

Two flour-covered heads popped up over the top of the messy breakfast bar. Rose suppressed a smirk as she was met with two pairs of wide brown eyes beneath mops of messy brown hair.

"I can explain," the Doctor told his wife meekly, straightening up.

Rose sighed, glancing round the kitchen again.

"You know what, Doctor? I don't even think I want to know." Rose replied, turning to walk out the room "I'm gonna take a bath. This had better be tidied up by the time I get back downstairs."


	44. The Private and the Cadet

Lungbarrow: The Private and the Cadet

It was December 20th, and the Doctor, Rose and Noah were round Jackie and Pete's for Sunday dinner. Both Noah and Tony were getting rather excited for Christmas, and the two boys were now firm friends. Noah had been with the Doctor and Rose for almost a month now, and his confidence was growing every day; he was fast becoming a cheeky, enthusiastic little boy. However, he still wasn't completely confident when it came to the adults; having spent much of his short life either being ignored or yelled at by his biological father, Noah was always a little reluctant to ask questions. And so, after Sunday dinner, when the six of them were sat in the sitting room of the Tyler Mansion, Noah cautiously mad his way over to his Dad.

"Daddy," Noah began cautiously, tugging the Doctor's sleeve to get him to bend down "how come Granddad calls Tony 'Private'?"

The Doctor lifted his son onto his lap as he began to explain.

"Well, you know me and Mummy work at Torchwood?" the Doctor began, waiting as Noah nodded "Well, Mummy's rank is Commander, and the rank Private is below that. So, as Tony's Mummy's little brother, Granddad calls him Private."

Noah nodded in understanding, but looked a little glum. He slipped off the Doctor's lap and padded out of the room.

"What's wrong with Noah?" Rose asked in concern, making to stand.

Jackie and Pete too, were looking rather worried, and Tony quickly stood up, hurrying after Noah.

"I think he's feeling a little left out," the Doctor admitted carefully.

**~StormWolf10~**

After the adults had all had a chat, Pete decided to go and find the boys. They were, rather predictably, in Tony's room, under Tony's duvet like a tent.

"Hello, boys," Pete told them, grinning as he slipped under the duvet with them.

He knew he'd probably have terrible backache the next day from lying on the floor, but for now, he'd make do.

"Tony, why don't you go downstairs with your Mum? I need to have a little chat with Noah." Pete suggested, watching his son carefully.

Tony glared at his father, pouting before reluctantly slipping out of the makeshift tent.

"Now, Noah, your Daddy said you might be feeling a little left out. Wanna talk about it?" Pete asked gently.

Noah's brow furrowed, and he looked at Pete uncertainly. A few seconds later, the little boy broke the silence.

"How come you call Tony 'Private' but me Noah?" Noah asked quietly.

Pete thought carefully about his reply.

"Well, you see, Noah, I've called Tony that since he was little, but you've only been with us a month. But, that doesn't mean you don't get a nickname, ok?" Pete explained carefully.

Noah's face lit up at that, and Pete smiled, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"I think you, Noah, can be Cadet, yeah?" Pete added, watching as the little boy grinned even more.

Noah nodded eagerly.

"Yeah!" he exclaimed.

Then, before Pete could say anything, Noah was struggling out from under the duvet and running out of the room, yelling for Tony.

**~StormWolf10~**

"You had a talk with him, yeah?" Jackie asked as her husband sat down beside her again.

"Yeah. I just wish I'd noticed sooner. I should have noticed sooner." Pete murmured, head in his hands.

"Dad, it's not your fault. Noah's still pretty shy, he didn't even say anything to us about it." Rose told her Dad.

"I know, but I should have thought. I mean, he's been round here several times now, and he's heard us call Tony 'Private'. I should have thought of it." Pete replied, evidently determined that it was his fault.

"Pete, you've spoken to Noah now, he really doesn't mind; just before you came downstairs he was running about quite happily with Tony. Whatever you said to him worked." The Doctor told his father-in-law, smiling.

Pete grinned at that.

"What did you say to him?" Rose asked her father curiously.

"I gave him a nickname." Pete replied simply, smiling.

Jackie, Rose and the Doctor all frowned in confusion.

"From now until the foreseeable future, whenever I refer to Tony as 'Private', I must refer to Noah as 'Cadet'." Pee explained, grinning now.

The Doctor laughed.

"The Private and the Cadet!" the Doctor crowed, grinning "Brilliant!"


	45. A Rather Wet Christmas

**A/N: A new chapter! All very sweet and fluffy… And we find out exactly what it was Noah bought the Doctor for Christmas**

Lungbarrow: A Rather Wet Christmas

It was December 25th, and Noah was up early. Very early. In fact, it was little past five in the morning. He went bounding into his parents' bedroom, clutching his bulging Christmas stocking in his little hands.

"Mummy, Daddy! It's Christmas!" he yelled excitedly, jumping onto the bed.

Both his parents woke rather abruptly, rubbing their eyes.

"Noah, what time is it?" the Doctor asked his son tiredly, sitting up to lift the little boy onto his lap.

Rose glanced at the alarm clock and groaned.

"It's ten past five, Noah," Rose complained, sitting up.

However, Rose couldn't bring herself to complain any more as she saw the sheer look of joy and excitement on Noah's little face as he began to empty the contents of his stocking onto the duvet.

"Tell you what then, Noah," Rose told the little boy as she shifted slightly so she was sat closer to her husband and son "you can open these but then we'll go back to sleep for a little while, yeah?"

**~StormWolf10~**

However, it soon became apparent to the Doctor and Rose that they wouldn't be going back to sleep any time soon. They were up and dressed by quarter to seven, and Noah happily played on the kitchen floor with his new toy cars, almost causing his parents to trip up several times as they prepared breakfast. Of course, Noah didn't know it yet, but there were a lot more presents waiting for him in the front room under the tree; both the Doctor and Rose, and Jackie and Pete had gone more than a little overboard when buying the three year old's presents (although the presents from his Grandparents were waiting for him at the Tyler Mansion). He also had presents from people like Arthur and Donna, although he had only met them a few times so far. Noah was far too distracted to eat much of his breakfast, and the Doctor made a mental note to find Rose's digital camera to take some photos when Noah had his other presents. Soon, after realising that Noah wasn't going to eat much more of is breakfast, they let him into the front room. The look on the little boy's face was priceless, and the Doctor quickly hurried back into the kitchen to pull Rose's digital camera from the drawer. When he returned, Noah was sat on Rose's lap on the floor, still gaping at the presents.

"Mine?" he asked, looking up at Rose with wide eyes.

"Well, not all of them, but most of them." Rose agreed, grinning.

Noah grinned back, waiting patiently as the Doctor dragged several of the large presents over. He made sure to take a lot of photos as Noah tore the wrapping paper from the present.

**~StormWolf10~**

It took nearly an hour and a half for Noah to open all his presents, because he was so eager to play with each one that he kept forgetting he had other presents to open. By now, the floor was strewn with wrapping paper, but neither the Doctor nor Rose could bring themselves to care. Noah had been most fascinated by the train set they'd bought him, but he was also rather eager to play with some of the Lego they'd gotten him. Donna had bought him a Thomas the Tank Engine duvet set after finding out that Noah loved the TV show, and Arthur had bought Noah a cuddly Rex toy from Toy Story. This was great, apart from now Noah wanted to go back to bed with his cuddly Rex toy and new duvet cover.

"Do you want to give Daddy his presents now?" Rose asked Noah quietly, grinning as the little boy nodded eagerly.

Rose quickly located the presents from Noah for the Doctor, handing them to the little boy, who virtually ran across the room to give them to his Dad.

"Thanks, buddy!" the Doctor told Noah, grinning as the little boy handed him his presents.

The Doctor grinned even more upon opening the first one.

"Did you pick this yourself?" he asked Noah.

"Yeah" Noah replied, beaming.

"Yeah, he found it by himself too," Rose added, grinning at her husband.

"Looks like I'll have to go and get changed in a minute so I can wear this, yeah?" the Doctor told Noah, holding the t-shirt up.

It was the t-shirt that Rose had barely been able to wait to give to the Doctor; it was plain grey with the words 'My cape is Invisible' written on it in blue.

"Open your other present!" Noah announced suddenly, pressing the Doctor's other present, a flat rectangular shape, into his hands.

The Doctor carefully set the t-shirt to one side and began to open the other present. At first, he thought it was a framed rectangular print, but upon closer inspection, realised that it was hand painted, evidently done with stencils. The words were done in varying shades of blue paint, and the top line read 'Daddy likes…' The rest of the lines read 'chasing aliens', 'going on adventures', 'spending time with Mummy and Noah', 'Mummy's smile', 'telling Noah about his and Mummy's adventures', 'playing with Noah' and 'quiet nights in'. The final line read 'love from Noah'.

"Did you make this, Noah?" the Doctor asked quietly, unsure what to say.

"Uh huh. But Mummy helped." Noah replied seriously.

The Doctor looked up at his wife, and she merely smiled back in response.

"Knew you'd probably like it, and Noah wanted to make you something." Rose explained, nodding at the framed picture "It came in a kit."

"You like it?" Noah asked, watching his Dad nervously.

"I love it," the Doctor assured his son, tugging him in for a hug.

**~StormWolf10~**

By half past ten, the Doctor, Rose and Noah were on their way to the Tyler Mansion. Unlike the previous year, where it had snowed virtually non-stop, it was a rather wet Christmas. Not that Noah seemed to mind, however. Rose had let him pack up his new rucksack they'd bought him- a Bob the Builder one- with a few toys, but they hadn't let him take too much because they knew that Jackie and Pete had bought him a lot of presents too. Rose was fiddling idly with the silver charm bracelet she'd gotten from Noah, with a little silver heart on it, engraved with the words 'love from Noah xxx'. The Doctor had gotten a custom-made charm for the bracelet, also from Noah, and it was in the shape of the TARDIS, inlaid with blue boulder opal. In addition to this, the Doctor had bought Rose a bottle of her favourite perfume, which she was now wearing. When they finally reached the Tyler Mansion, Noah waited impatiently to be helped out of his car seat. Once out, he virtually ran to the door, dragging his rucksack behind him and almost tripping over it in the process. Before Noah even reached the front step, however, the door opened, revealing Jackie.

"Hello, Noah!" she greeted her grandson, smiling.

"Hi!" Noah replied cheerily as he gave his Gran a toothy smile.

"Hi, Mum," Rose announced as she and the Doctor finally reached the front door.

They headed inside, and Jackie took their coats, hanging them up just as Tony came running in.

"Noah, come on! We've been waiting for you ages!" Tony exclaimed, grabbing the younger boy's hand and beginning to tug him towards the sitting room "You've gotta come open your presents."

Noah's face lit up at the mention of more presents, and the Doctor, Rose and Jackie hurried to catch up.

"Hiya, Cadet!" Pete greeted his grandson as he scampered into the room.

Noah grinned before gaping at the pile of presents. The Doctor and Rose, who had just entered the room behind their son, gaped at the amount of presents.

"Are these all for Noah?" Rose asked her parents cautiously.

Pete ducked his head in embarrassment while Jackie only shrugged.

"Well, why can't we spoil our grandson?" Jackie asked.

"Mum, you have to admit you went a little overboard! There's what, twenty? Thirty presents here?" Rose told her Mum.

"Twenty-two." Jackie corrected.

The Doctor blinked.

"Rose," he asked quietly "how are we going to get all these in the car?"

**~StormWolf10~**

Christmas dinner was slightly chaotic as food was passed round the table. Pete and the Doctor helped their respective sons put the food on their plates, and they were all soon eating. Tony and Noah demanded that everyone wore the paper hats from the crackers, and the awful jokes were read out too. Soon, though, they were back in the sitting room, and the boys were playing with their presents. Jackie and Pete had known that the Doctor and Rose were buying Noah a train set, so they'd bought him another few trains to go with it, as well as some spare track. He also had several colouring books and a Bob the Builder sticker set, along with a little plaque with his name on to go on his bedroom door. However, as the afternoon gave way to evening, little Noah began to get tired, as did Tony, and at little past eight o'clock, the Doctor and Rose were heading home. They'd somehow managed to get all of Noah's new toys in the back of the car, and upon arriving home, took them in to the entrance hall, deciding to sort them out the following morning. The Doctor carried a half-asleep Noah upstairs, and helped him change into his pyjamas before tucking him in. Rose came up to say goodnight to Noah as well.

"Did you have fun today?" Rose asked her son gently as they tucked him up in bed.

Noah nodded tiredly, smiling slightly.

"Good," the Doctor replied "now, we'll see you in the morning, ok?"

Again Noah merely nodded. Within minutes, he was asleep.


	46. Drawings on the Fridge

**A/N: A slightly shorter, slightly more angst chapter now… Read and review :)**

Lungbarrow: Drawings on the Fridge

As Rose went to open the fridge to get the milk out, she paused, smiling.

"You alright, sweetheart?" Jackie asked, watching her daughter with a knowing glint in her eye.

"Yeah, yeah, 'm fine." Rose replied quickly, opening the fridge and pulling the milk out.

Rose quickly finished making the mugs of tea, handing one to her Mum before putting the milk back in the fridge. It was New Year's Eve, and Jackie, Pete and Tony were at the Doctor and Rose's for the night. Tony and Noah were currently playing upstairs in Noah's room, and the Doctor and Pete had retreated to the study, talking about Torchwood work.

"I notice you've got one of Noah's drawings on the fridge," Jackie continued, knowing full well that that was what had made her daughter pause when she'd reached for the milk.

"Yeah, he drew it yesterday and wanted to put it up." Rose explained, taking a sip of her own tea.

The drawing was a pretty much generic child's drawing; crude drawings of the Doctor, Rose and Noah stood hand in hand outside their house. Nonetheless, Rose and the Doctor both adored it.

"It's…It's just strange," Rose continued, staring into the distance as she spoke "having a drawing on the fridge that isn't drawn by Tony."

"But it's a good strange, right?" Jackie prompted, watching her daughter over the rim of her mug.

Rose nodded quickly, grinning.

"The best." Rose replied adamantly "I…I suppose I never realised how much I'd enjoy being a Mum. I love all of it. And I mean all of it; the drawings on the fridge, the being woken at six am by Noah crawling into our bed, the tantrums at bedtime… It's weird, but I enjoy every minute of it."

Jackie smirked.

"You just wait till he's a teenager. Doubt you'll be saying the same then." Jackie told her daughter.

Rose thought for a few moments about that.

"I don't think I even wanna think about that yet. I mean, it's, what, a decade away?" Rose replied, brow furrowing slightly.

"It'll go far too fast though," Jackie told her daughter, and Rose picked up on the slightly sad tone of her Mum's voice.

"Well, we've still got a few months with him before he starts school," Rose told her Mum.

"Just make the most of them, love. Don't take them for granted. I know I did with you." Jackie told her daughter, smiling sadly.

**~StormWolf10~**

Later that day, Noah presented his parents with another drawing to go on the fridge, and Jackie watched as the Doctor led the three year old out into the kitchen so he could choose exactly where he wanted it on the fridge. Jackie smiled softly to herself, watching as her daughter and son-in-law interacted with the little boy before lifting him onto the sofa between them and launching a tickle-fight on him. The little boy squealed with laughter, even more so when Tony joined in, only to have Rose turn on him and tickle him too. They were a perfect little family, and Jackie really hoped her daughter truly appreciated what she had before it was too late. She knew Rose would never take it for granted of course, but Jackie had been the same with Rose; after raising Rose for almost four years on her own, it had been somewhat of a relief when she started school and Jackie could have some alone time again. And then, all too soon, Rose was at junior school, and then senior school. And then she stepped inside a blue box and vanished for an entire year. And all Jackie had had left of her daughter was the drawings on the fridge.


	47. The Point of Names

**A/N: New chapter! Lots of fluffy Noah goodness! I love this kid XD**

Lungbarrow: The Point of Names

"Mummy?" Noah piped up as he abandoned his carton of juice at the breakfast bar "What's the point of names?"

Rose frowned slightly, trying to work out how to explain her son's question.

"Well," Rose began, finishing off the washing up before drying off her hands "we have names so people know what to call us, Noah,"

"I meant last names!" Noah cut in, giggling slightly.

"Oh, really?" Rose asked, smiling as she lifted her son into her arms, sitting him on the worktop "Well, then, the point of last names is so people can tell who is related to who, I suppose. Like people know I and Daddy are married because we have the same last name."

"But I don't." Noah pointed out, slightly glum now.

Rose froze, and looked at her three year old son. Indeed, when they'd adopted Noah, they'd kept his last name as Smith for the sole reason they were going to talk to him when he was older about whether he wanted to change his name. However, it now seemed that they'd be having that talk a lot sooner. For a few moments, Rose gazed out the kitchen window, not really seeing their frost-covered garden as she thought hard about what to do.

"Noah," Rose said eventually "how about we wait until Daddy gets home from work and we have a chat about it, yeah?"

Noah nodded, but seemed rather downcast. Rose sighed and lifted him off the worktop.

**~StormWolf10~**

The Doctor unlocked the door of their house, stepping inside quickly. He was relieved to get in from the chilly January air, even if he'd only had to walk a few paces up the drive from the car.

"Hello?" he called as he hung his coat up in the coat cupboard.

"We're in Noah's room," Rose called back.

The Doctor hurried up the stairs and along the corridor, noticing that Noah's bedroom door was ajar. The little plaque with his name on that Jackie and Pete had bought him for Christmas was screwed to the door, and when he entered the room, he found Noah and Rose sat on the floor playing with Noah's train set.

"Daddy!" Noah yelled, scampering across the floor to barrel into the Doctor's legs.

The Doctor laughed, lifting Noah into his arms.

"Hello, Noah!" the Doctor exclaimed as he held the giggling little boy to him "Did you have a good day with Mummy?"

"Uh huh! We've been playing trains!" Noah answered, wriggling slightly in his father's grip "But Mummy has to talk to you now."

"Is that so?" the Doctor asked, brow furrowing slightly.

"Yeah. 'Bout my name." Noah replied calmly as he finally slipped from his Dad's grip and onto the floor.

The Doctor watched, slightly worried as Noah padded back across the floor and plonked himself down on Rose's lap, playing with his trains again.

"So, what's this talk about?" the Doctor asked his wife carefully as he sat, cross-legged on the floor opposite her.

"Noah was asking me earlier about his name," Rose began uncertainly, smoothing Noah's light brown hair back from his forehead while the little boy played with a toy train "about how he has a different last name from us."

"Ah," the Doctor murmured, beginning to realise.

"Yeah. I want the same name as you." Noah chipped in, grinning at his Dad.

"Yeah?" the Doctor asked, reaching forward to grab Noah's sock-clad feet, tickling the soles.

Noah squealed, wriggling as his father continued tickling him.

**~StormWolf10~**

Later that evening, the Doctor phoned up Noah's social worker and explained the situation. When they'd adopted Noah, the Doctor and Rose had asked for Noah's name on the adoption certificate to remain the same, but now, as Noah wanted to change his surname, they needed a new certificate. Within a few minutes of explaining the situation, the social worker promised to get a new certificate sorted, with Noah's new name, and explained that they would have to come in to sign it.

"That's fine," the Doctor assured the social worker "we'll come by tomorrow to sign it and pick it up."

The Doctor bid the social worker goodbye and hung up. He was just about to head upstairs to say goodnight to Noah when Rose came down.

"It all sorted?" Rose asked.

"Yep. We've just got to pop by tomorrow and sign it and pick it up." The Doctor explained, tugging Rose into a kiss.

"Noah already in bed?" the Doctor asked as they broke apart.

Rose nodded.

"Yeah, but he wants you to read him a story. He's had his bath and he's waiting for you." Rose replied.

The Doctor grinned and began bounding up the stairs. Within a few seconds, he was in Noah's room.

"Now then, Noah Smith, what story shall it be tonight?" the Doctor asked, pulling his glasses from his pocket and slipping them on before scanning the bookshelf.

"Nuh uh! Noah Lungbarrow!" Noah corrected quickly, grinning at his Dad.

"Ah, yes!" the Doctor agreed, turning to grin at his son "Well then, Noah Lungbarrow, what shall we read tonight?"


	48. A Present for Daddy

**A/N: I seem to be trapped in a fluff circle…. Enjoy! XD**

Lungbarrow: A Present for Daddy

"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!"

The Doctor cracked one eye open to see his son, grinning at him from his position sat on his chest.

"Happy birthday, Daddy!" Noah yelled as soon as the Doctor had opened his eyes.

The Doctor blinked, rubbing his eyes before sitting up. Noah fell backwards at the movement, giggling as the Doctor quickly caught him.

"Hey, buddy, where's your Mummy, eh?" the Doctor asked, noticing they were alone in the room.

"Making breakfast," Noah replied, scrambling off the bed.

The Doctor watched his son in confusion as he disappeared from view, but Noah quickly returned, clutching a stack of presents and a card to his chest. He dumped them on the bed and scrambled back up to sit beside his Dad. Just as the Doctor reached for the presents, the bedroom door opened, and Rose entered, with a tray laden with breakfast things.

"Good morning," she greeted her husband, grinning as she kissed the Doctor on the lips "and happy birthday."

The Doctor grinned, and Rose settled the breakfast tray on the bed before sitting on the other side of Noah, who was eagerly pressing a card into the Doctor's hands. Noah had been with them for roughly two and a half months now, and he'd settled in happily. He refused to refer to the Doctor and Rose as anything other than Daddy and Mummy, and had been even happier when they'd changed his surname to Lungbarrow. He watched happily as the Doctor opened his birthday card from him, and was quick to point out that he'd written his own name in it. Noah was even more proud of himself when the Doctor kissed him on the forehead and thanked him.

**~StormWolf10~**

Rose, of course, had to work as it was a Wednesday, which left the Doctor at home with Noah for the day. Just like Christmas, Noah had picked out presents for the Doctor, which delighted him even more when he saw how happy the Doctor was with them. The presents included a 'World's Best Daddy' mug, a framed photo of him and Noah from Christmas, and a drawing that Noah had done. However, the present the Doctor loved most was a simple silver key ring engraved with the words 'Any man can be a father but it takes a special man to be a dad'. Despite it being the Doctor's birthday, Noah was still very much in charge, and by the time Rose came home that evening, the Doctor had been made to play trains, cars, watch several episodes of Bob the Builder and do some colouring. Needless to say, the Doctor was exhausted. By half past six, it was time to get Noah into bed, and luckily the little boy was so tired he didn't attempt to put up a fight.

"Did he go down alright?" Rose asked when the Doctor returned from putting Noah to bed.

The Doctor nodded.

"Yeah, he was out like a light," the Doctor replied, flopping onto the sofa with a sigh.

"Not surprising; he was up at the crack of dawn today; he was so excited to give you your presents." Rose told her husband with a smirk "He'd been pestering me to take him out to buy 'a present for Daddy' since New Year!"

The Doctor grinned.

"Yeah, well, hopefully once he starts school he won't be as loud and energetic at home," the Doctor groused, but he was still smiling.

"Oh, admit it! You love him being so energetic!" Rose told her husband, grinning.

The Doctor merely responded by kissing her soundly.


	49. Mummy's Sick Day

**A/N: New chapter. Read and Review**

**Disclaimer: I own no one except Noah.**

Lungbarrow: Mummy's Sick Day

"Daddy," Noah yelled as he ran down the staircase "Daddy!"

Noah went skidding into the kitchen, his socks sliding on the polished floor. The Doctor quickly caught his son before he went head-first into a kitchen cabinet.

"What's wrong, Noah? And I thought I told you to go wake Mummy?" the Doctor pointed out to his son.

"I did!" Noah protested, brow furrowed indignantly "But Mummy's ill!"

"What?" the Doctor asked, his own brow furrowing now.

"Mummy's ill!" Noah repeated.

The Doctor was out of the kitchen like a shot, leaving a very confused Noah in his wake. He bounded up the stairs two at a time and hurried along to their bedroom, bursting in rather unceremoniously.

"Rose?" he asked, crossing to the bed quickly.

Rose moaned a little in response, and the Doctor carefully pulled the duvet down.

"Don't." Rose moaned, tugging the duvet back up.

"Rose, what's wrong?" the Doctor asked gently, hand moving to test his wife's forehead.

"Headache," Rose murmured weakly "feel sick. An' it didn't help when Noah came running in yelling."

The Doctor sighed.

"Let me guess, light hurts your eyes?" the Doctor asked quietly.

Rose nodded slightly, but stopped as it aggravated her headache.

"Ok," the Doctor told her, sighing again "I'm going to call your Dad and tell him I won't be in for work today,"

"Why?" Rose asked, cracking one eye open slightly to look at her husband before closing it again a few seconds later.

"Because you have a migraine and someone has to keep an eye on Noah for the day. Your Mum's got her garden club today, so she can't have him." The Doctor pointed out.

However, Rose had already gone back to sleep.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Now, Noah, you have to stay downstairs today, alright?" the Doctor told Noah gently.

"Why?" Noah asked, frowning.

"Because Mummy's not very well, so we need to be quiet too, ok?" the Doctor explained.

Noah looked a little confused, but nodded.

"Can we go play outside?" Noah asked suddenly.

The Doctor glanced out the window, not at all fooled by the chilly February weather; it may look sunny, but the Doctor was willing to bet that it was still fairly cold. He then looked Noah up and down; the little boy was dressed in blue jeans and a warm, dark green hoodie. The Doctor thought for a few more moments before nodding. Noah's face lit up, and he ran over to the coat cupboard to retrieve his trainers. He sat on the bottom of the staircase as the Doctor knelt in front of him, helping him put his trainers on.

**~StormWolf10~**

Despite the chilly weather, the Doctor and Noah spent several hours in the garden, kicking a small football around and playing hide and seek. Of course, Noah seemed to think that if he couldn't see the Doctor, the Doctor couldn't see him, and several times, the Doctor found the little boy hiding behind a bush with his hands over his eyes. The Doctor made a big deal out of it, though, and pretended that he couldn't find him, causing Noah to giggle. When they finally returned inside for lunch, Noah begged the Doctor to let him go up and see Rose. When they did go up to check on Rose, they didn't stay too long, as Rose was still asleep, and when she did wake it was because Noah was making too much noise. Nonetheless, the afternoon seemed to pass without incident, and Noah was happy to sit and watch TV. By early evening, Rose felt well enough to get back up, although she was still slightly headachy. Well, she was feeling well enough until Jackie came round.

"It was Mummy's sick day!" Noah announced to his Gran upon seeing her.

"I know, Noah, Granddad told me," Jackie replied before rounding on her daughter and son-in-law "and why didn't you call me?"

"Mum, I'm fine now, it was just a migraine," Rose protested, choosing to omit the fact her migraine seemed to be returning thanks to her Mum "and besides, you were busy today."

Jackie looked about to protest, but was soon distracted by Noah, who dragged her into the front room.

"Well," the Doctor murmured as he watched Noah drag Jackie away "at least Noah's good for distractions!"

Rose sighed.

"Yeah," she replied quietly "I'm going back to bed."


	50. Monsters Under the Bed

**A/N: Very, very fluffy chapter now. Came about from a conversation with a friend **

Lungbarrow: Monsters Under the Bed

_They were getting closer. The black shadows drew nearer and nearer, backing Noah into a corner. They'd crept out from under his bed, grabbed him and tossed him across the room. He'd tried calling out, he really had. He'd wanted to kick and scream and cry for his Mummy and Daddy, but he couldn't. Noah was paralysed with fear, the creatures drawing closer and closer. One reached out his hand, and-_

Noah sat bolt upright, screaming, tears streaming down his cheeks. He heard noises from outside his bedroom door, and curled up, knees against his chest as they grew louder. The bedroom door crashed open, a tall, black shape filling the doorway, reaching out and…switching the light on? Noah's shoulders sagged with relief upon seeing that it was his Daddy. The Doctor crossed the room quickly, followed by Rose, and they sat on either side of Noah on the small bed as Rose tugged the tearful little boy onto her lap.

"Hey now, sweetheart," Rose whispered to the little boy as he buried his head in her shoulder, his tears soaking through the thin vest top she'd worn to bed "it's alright, it was just a nightmare."

However, Noah didn't stop crying, and after a few moments, the Doctor realised that the little boy was shaking.

"How about you tell us what happened, eh?" the Doctor suggested to his son gently.

Tearfully, Noah began to explain his nightmare, pausing several times to sniff and wipe his eyes. When Noah had finished the recount of his nightmare, the Doctor carefully brushed the little boy's hair from his eyes, encouraging him to look at him.

"I promise, Noah, there's nothing under your bed to hurt you," the Doctor assured the boy softly.

Noah, however, looked sceptical.

"And I promise, Noah, we'll never let anything hurt you." Rose added, kissing her son on the forehead.

Noah looked up at his Mum, smiling slightly, his wide brown eyes damp.

"Promise?" he asked meekly.

"Promise," the Doctor and Rose assured him in unison.

Noah thought for a few moments.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" Noah asked, wide-eyed again.

The Doctor and Rose shared a glance over the little boy's head.

"You can sleep with us if you're really unsure about sleeping on your own, Noah," Rose began uncertainly "but would you be alright sleeping here if Daddy and I can prove there's nothing in here that will hurt you?"

Noah paused before nodding.

"Ok, then," the Doctor announced, climbing off the bed, crossing the room and grabbing the little torch that sat on Noah's bookshelf on the wall next to the door "how about I prove to you that there's nothing under your bed?"

And with that, the Doctor switched the small plastic torch on, smiling reassuringly at Noah as he walked back over to the bed again.

"Come on, then," the Doctor told his son, holding out his hand.

Noah cautiously took his Dad's hand, sliding off the bed and kneeling on the floor as the Doctor lay on his belly on the floor. Rose slipped off the bed too, and left the room briefly, before returning a minute or so later to find the Doctor carefully moving the torch about under the bed to show Noah that there was nothing other than some toys under there.

"See, Noah? Nothing under there to hurt you," the Doctor told his son gently, glancing over at Noah.

Noah nodded, evidently calmed by this. Rose smiled as she watched her son and husband, and quickly snapped a photo of them with the camera she was holding; the sole reason she'd left the room. It was too much of a cute moment to miss, she decided. Just then, the Doctor straightened up and switched the torch off as Noah clambered to his feet.

"Think you'll be alright sleeping in here now you know there's no monsters under the bed, buddy?" the Doctor asked his son gently.

Noah nodded, and clambered back into bed, cuddling his teddy bear to him, smiling slightly.

"Good," the Doctor replied, grinning as he bent to kiss his son on the forehead.

"Night night, sweetie," Rose murmured, kissing Noah gently as she tucked him back into bed.

Within a few minutes, Noah was asleep again, and he slept soundly for the rest of the night.


	51. Mothers Day

**A/N: For those of you wondering what Noah looks like, head over to my deviantart account (StormWolfRoranicus) and look in my gallery, in the fanfiction folder :)**

Lungbarrow: Mothers Day

It was March 6th, and that meant only one thing. Mothers Day. The Doctor was up early with Noah, and while Rose slept, they were downstairs preparing a surprise breakfast in bed. Of course, this meant that the Doctor was the one actually preparing the breakfast while Noah watched on. The Doctor cooked bacon and eggs, and made sure to cook some for Noah to eat before they went back upstairs, and the Doctor double-checked to make sure he had the presents.

"Come on then, Noah," the Doctor told the little boy, gathering the items onto the breakfast tray.

Noah obediently hopped off the stool, his presents for Rose held close in his arms. They quietly headed upstairs and along to the Doctor and Rose's room. It seemed they'd gotten there in perfect timing, as Rose was just sitting up in bed, looking around in confusion.

"Hello," Rose greeted them, frowning slightly "what's all this about, eh?"

Noah giggled as he clambered onto the bed, thrusting the presents at his Mum.

"It's Mothers Day," the Doctor reminded his wife gently, smiling.

Rose's face lit up as she realised that, and pulled Noah in for a hug. The Doctor grinned, setting the breakfast tray on the bed before sitting beside his wife and son.

"Open your presents!" Noah exclaimed excitedly, bouncing slightly on the bed.

"Ok, ok! Calm down!" Rose told her son.

She opened the card first, which was signed in Noah's wobbly scrawl. Grinning, Rose moved onto the presents, and laughed when she opened the first one.

"I found the stencils and Noah said he wanted to make you one like he'd made me," the Doctor explained, shrugging.

Rose grinned, kissing Noah on the forehead. The gift was a framed print, hand-painted by Noah and was a replica of the 'Daddy likes' picture that he'd made the Doctor for Christmas. The only difference was that this one was in red and was made for Rose. Similar to the Doctor's, the first line read 'Mummy likes…', while the rest of the lines read 'family time with Daddy and Noah', 'Daddy's laugh', 'when Noah tells her how much he loves her', 'when Daddy wears his brainy specs', 'quiet nights in', 'going on adventures' and 'playing with Noah'. Just like the Doctor's, the last line read 'love from Noah'. Rose's other present was a 'Wonderful Mummy' mug.

"Thank you, sweetheart!" Rose told Noah, drawing him in for another hug.

Noah grinned, curling up against his Mum.

**~StormWolf10~**

The rest of the day passed slowly. The Doctor insisted on cooking dinner so Rose could relax, but in actual fact she ended up playing with Noah. Nonetheless, it still turned out to be a fairly relaxing day as the family instead curled up on the sofa to watch a DVD for the afternoon.

"I'm going to call Mum," Rose announced during the early evening.

The Doctor nodded distractedly as he read Noah a storybook. Of course Rose wanted to phone her Mum; it was Mothers Day, after all. As Rose left the room, Noah sat up, pushing the storybook away.

"What's wrong, Noah?" the Doctor asked, frowning as he surveyed the little boy from behind his glasses.

"When's Mummy's birthday?" Noah asked quietly, eyes darting to the doorway momentarily in case Rose overheard.

"Mummy's birthday's next month. Why?" the Doctor asked his son.

"I know what I want to get her." Noah replied cautiously.

The Doctor chuckled and ruffled Noah's hair.

"Well, we've got a few weeks before Mummy's birthday, Noah. We've got time to get her a present, ok?" the Doctor told his son.

Noah nodded and settled down.

"Good. I don't wanna miss it." Noah told his Dad calmly as he settled down again and prompted his Dad to continue reading the book "Mummy looked so happy when I gave her her presents. I wanna do it again."

The Doctor blinked, and then Noah was prompting him to begin reading again.


	52. Sugar Highs and Little Boys Don't Mix

**A/N: Today it is officially one year since I began writing this story :) Thanks to all of you who have reviewed and favourite it, it means a lot! And now onwards with the story!**

Lungbarrow: Sugar Highs and Little Boys Don't Mix

Rose smiled as she watched Noah tug the Doctor round the garden. It was Easter Sunday, and to make it a bit more interesting for their three year old son, the Doctor and Rose had hidden Noah's Easter eggs in the garden for him to find. Rose was suddenly rather unceremoniously ripped from her own thought by Noah scampering across the garden and grabbing her hand, tugging her across the grass.

"Come on, Mummy!"

Rose tried to sigh, but she couldn't help the smile that tugged at her mouth, Noah's excitement infectious.

"How many eggs have you found so far, Noah?" Rose asked her son, grinning as Noah ran straight past the last egg sat under a bush.

"Lots!" Noah answered, grinning as he pointed to the pile of eggs he'd already gathered.

"Wow!" Rose exclaimed "Do you think there's any more to find, or have you gotten them all?"

Noah's brow furrowed at that before he looked up at his parents, wide-eyed.

"Can I start eating them now, then?" Noah asked.

The Doctor laughed, and ruffled Noah's hair.

"I think there may be one more left that you need to find first, buddy," the Doctor told his son, grinning.

Immediately, Noah was off across the garden, looking in the bushes and plants to try and find that elusive missing Easter egg.

"Should we tell him where it is?" the Doctor asked his wife, smiling as he watched his son.

"We'll give it a few more minutes." Rose informed her husband with a smile.

And so, the couple sat down and watched Noah search the garden.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Can I have an Easter egg yet?" Noah asked, following his Mum around the kitchen.

"Not yet, Noah. You haven't even had breakfast yet." Rose told the three year old sternly.

"It could be my breakfast?" Noah suggested, grinning impishly up at his Mum.

Rose sighed. Noah had been following her for the past ten minutes, asking to open his Easter eggs. It was still only a little past eight, and was far too early to even be considering giving a three year old chocolate.

"No, Noah. Not until after breakfast." Rose replied.

"But Mummy!"

And then, Noah sat down in the middle of the kitchen floor and clung to Rose's leg so she couldn't move. Rose rolled her eyes and bent down, prising Noah from her leg just as the Doctor came in.

"Just got the post-" the Doctor trailed off, taking in the sight in front of him. "Still after your chocolate, eh, buddy?" he asked his son.

Noah nodded eagerly, and ran over to his Dad.

"Well, I'm sorry mate, but you know the rules; no sweets or chocolates until at least half an hour after you've eaten breakfast." The Doctor reminded his son, stepping round him.

Noah pouted, but quickly ran to the dining room, sliding into his chair at the table.

**~StormWolf10~**

A few hours later, while Rose was on her laptop on the front room and the Doctor was reading a book, they realised that Noah was being far too quiet.

"He's probably still up in his room, sulking because he was only allowed to open one Easter egg," the Doctor told his wife.

Rose hummed in agreement before moving her laptop to stand up.

"I'm going to ring Mum, see if it's still alright for you and Noah to go round tomorrow." Rose announced, heading for the door.

"Why wouldn't it be?" the Doctor asked, brow furrowing in confusion "Tony has an inset day, and your Mum's not busy."

"I know," Rose replied, sighing "but Tony's not been very well, apparently, and I don't want Noah catching anything. Now, make yourself useful and go find our son so he can thank Mum for his Easter egg."

The Doctor sighed as Rose disappeared into the entrance hall, and he slid his bookmark into his book, standing up. By the time he'd gotten out into the entrance hall, Rose was already on the phone to Jackie, so he hurried up the stairs to Noah's room.

"Noah? Are you in there, buddy?" the Doctor asked, knocking on the closed door.

He heard a giggle, and the sound of a small boy running around, presumably to hide. The Doctor grinned and pushed the door open, before stopping in his tracks, open-mouthed.

"Noah!"

There was a Noah-shaped lump under the Thomas the Tank Engine duvet, and all around the room, the remains of Easter egg wrappers and boxes were discarded. More worryingly, however, the Doctor noted that there was a distinct lack of chocolate. Noah chose that exact moment to poke his head out from under the duvet, wide-eyed and giggly.

"Oh, god," the Doctor murmured, still staring at his son.

Then, taking a deep breath, the Doctor approached the bed.

"Noah, how did you get hold of all the chocolate? Mummy put it in the kitchen cupboards so you couldn't reach it," the Doctor told his son sternly.

Noah, however, seemed oblivious to the Doctor's stern tone, and he giggled, jumping off the bed just as the Doctor made to grab him. And then, almost so fast that the Doctor didn't have time to blink, Noah was out the door.

"Noah!" the Doctor yelped, on his feet in an instant to chase the sugar-high three year old.

Noah was already halfway down the stairs at this point, but the Doctor's long legs gave him an advantage, and he was soon just behind the little boy. Noah scampered down the stairs, running straight over to Rose to hide behind her legs. However, upon seeing the Doctor advancing, Noah made a dash for the kitchen.

"What the hell's going on?!" Rose demanded as her husband skidded past her.

"Noah got hold of his Easter eggs. He's eaten them all." The Doctor explained hurriedly as he made a beeline for the kitchen.

"Oh, god," Rose moaned, forgetting she was on the phone "Oh, no, everything's fine, Mum. Noah's just gotten hold of his Easter eggs, though, and he's eaten them all. Now the Doctor's trying to catch up with him. He's legging it round the house,"

Rose tuned out as Jackie began nattering on about how Rose had done a similar thing when she was Noah's age; in fact, right now Rose was regretting ever introducing the little boy to chocolate.

"Yeah, listen, Mum, I'd better go. Gotta catch Noah."

And with that, Rose hung up the phone and set off after her husband and son.

**~StormWolf10~**

When Rose finally located her family in the dining room, there seemed to be somewhat of a stand-off going on. Like any young family, Noah's toys tended to be scattered throughout the house, which may have been how Noah had ended up peering over the top of the dining room table wearing a bright yellow plastic Bob the Builder helmet. More confusingly, as the Doctor advanced on the sugar-dosed three year old and Noah scampered from his hiding place, Rose noticed that her son had managed to lose his t-shirt. Now dressed in just a pair of jeans and blue stripy socks, Noah barrelled into his Mum, who quickly grabbed him and lifted him into her arms.

"Hey, now, are you going to tell me and Daddy how you got hold of all that chocolate?" Rose asked her son as he wriggled in her grip.

Noah pouted, and continued trying to wriggle his way out of Rose's arms. Rose rolled her eyes. Noah was excitable enough usually (well, he was now he'd settled in. He still wasn't great around strangers, but they were working on that), and now he was on a sugar high too.

"Noah," the Doctor chipped in strictly.

Noah sighed, sagging in Rose's arms, mumbling something under his breath. Frowning in confusion at one another, the Doctor and Rose headed out to the kitchen.

"Oh." They murmured in unison.

It was then that it all became apparent. They had a wooden chair sat in the corner of the kitchen, which served as an aid for Noah when he wanted to help with the cooking. It seemed that he'd managed to drag it the foot or so over to the worktop and use it to climb up and reach the kitchen cupboards.

"Next year, we need to find a higher hiding place." Rose murmured to her husband.

"Or a lower chair," the Doctor suggested.

**~StormWolf10~**

That evening, Noah was a lot easier to get to bed, thanks to his sugar high ending. They'd managed to distract him throughout the afternoon so he didn't fall asleep too soon, and they managed to make it until Noah's bedtime of six thirty. However, Rose had just sat back down on the sofa after tucking Noah in and reading him a bedtime story when the little boy appeared at the door.

"Mummy, I feel sick."

Rose sighed, and had to fight back a laugh of irony.

"Ok, sweetheart, let's go get you a glass of water," she told her son, standing up and crossing to the door.

Rose tried to ignore her husband's smirk as she took Noah's hand and led him to the kitchen. However, the smirk soon slipped from the Doctor's face when he heard the sound of vomiting, followed quickly by crying. He quickly jumped up from the sofa and headed out to the kitchen, to see Rose crouched in front of a sobbing Noah, trying to calm him. It was the Doctor's turn to sigh now, and he quickly gathered Noah in for a cuddle while Rose cleaned up the sick. They then encouraged Noah to stay awake for a while longer to make sure he wouldn't be sick again. He was sick a few more times, and ended up sleeping in the Doctor and Rose's bed that night, curled up between them.

"Well, at least we've learnt something from this," the Doctor murmured to his wife, glancing at her through the gloom.

"What's that?" Rose asked tiredly, brushing Noah's hair from his forehead.

"That sugar highs and little boys don't mix!" the Doctor announced, grinning.


	53. A Present for Mummy

**A/N: For anyone who's interested, there's a oneshot set in the Lungbarrow 'verse over on my deviantart (StormWolfRoranicus) called 'Lungbarrow: 2000' to celebrate 2000 page hits on deviantart :) It won't be posted here. **

Lungbarrow: A Present for Mummy

"Mummy, wake up! MUMMY!"

Rose opened her eyes slowly to see what- or, who- had been poking her in the cheek. Noah grinned happily at her from his position sat on top of her.

"Good morning, Noah," Rose announced to her son, attempting to sound cheerful despite being tired.

She glanced at the clock, and saw that it was half six. That meant she had just over half an hour to be up, dressed and out the door for work. Rose sighed and sat up, shocked as Noah giggled and threw his arms round her neck, hugging her tight.

"Happy birthday Mummy!"

Rose blinked and, noticing the Doctor watching them from the doorway, frowned slightly at her husband. The Doctor smirked and nodded, wondering whether to joke about how she'd managed to forget her own birthday. Of course, the reason Rose had forgotten was because they'd been so busy with Noah that their own lives seemed to be blocked out. Pushing himself away from the doorway, the Doctor headed over to his wife, sitting on the bed beside.

"Happy birthday, Rose," he told her gently, kissing her gently on the lips.

Noah screwed up his nose at the sight of his parents kissing. Rose, however, reluctantly pulled away quickly.

"Doctor," Rose told him gently "not that I don't love being woken up by the two most important men in my life, but I have to get ready for work."

"Ok," the Doctor replied softly, fighting back a sigh. He knew that this would be the case, but he was still a bit dejected.

"But…Your presents!" Noah told his Mum, puzzled.

"You can give Mummy her presents when she gets home from work, ok?" the Doctor told his son, smiling.

Noah pouted, and Rose quickly hugged him to her for a minute or so before she realised that she really was going to be late if she didn't get a move on.

**~StormWolf10~**

It was one of the longest days Rose had had in a long while. The day was, in fact, rather dull, and she'd spent most of it filling in paperwork as her Field Team wasn't needed out on any missions. She had lunch with Donna, and her Field Team, and many of her friends gave her birthday cards. Rose also managed to get away just before five, and virtually broke every existing speed limit on the way back to hers and the Doctor's house. She was home just before five twenty, and was greeted by Noah barrelling into her legs. Upon closer inspection, the little boy appeared to be covered in flour, and Rose suddenly had a horrible feeling that the kitchen would look much the same as it had when the Doctor and Noah had attempted mince pies.

"Doctor?" she called, lifting Noah into her arms.

"I'm in the kitchen," he called back calmly.

Noah was giggling and squirming in her arms, and Rose knew the little boy well enough now that that meant he was trying to keep quiet about something. Rose's brow furrowed, and she headed to the kitchen, stopping dead at the sight that met her.

"Happy birthday," the Doctor told his wife, grinning.

"You…You made that?" Rose asked, wide-eyed as she surveyed the cake on the kitchen worktop.

"Yep!" the Doctor answered proudly, as Noah chipped in with a 'Yeah!' and a furious nod of his little head.

"It looks wonderful!" Rose told him, crossing to her husband and kissing him gently, before kissing Noah on the forehead.

"Well, we had to call your Mother and get a few tips…" the Doctor conceded quietly.

**~StormWolf10~**

They only had just over an hour before it was Noah's bedtime, and Noah ate earlier than his parents, so Rose let him have a slice of cake while she and the Doctor ate their dinner. By the time Noah had finished with his cake, his hands and the lower half of his face were covered in sticky icing, but Rose merely shook her head and fetched a cloth to clean him up.

"You've gotta have a bath later," Rose reminded her son as the Doctor began clearing away the dinner things.

Noah pouted, and the Doctor could sense a tantrum coming on, so he quickly piped up.

"Noah, why don't you go get Mummy's presents, yeah?" he suggested to the little boy, smiling.

Noah's face lit up, and he nodded, slipping off his chair and running to the front room, returning a few moments later.

"This is from me, an' this is from Daddy, an' this is from Gran and Granddad and Tony," Noah announced to his Mum as he put the presents on the table.

Noah watched eagerly as Rose opened her cards first before moving on to her presents. From Jackie, Pete and Tony, she'd gotten a new laptop, from the Doctor she'd gotten several DVDs she'd wanted for ages, as well as some expensive chocolates, and from Noah she'd gotten some more charms for the charm bracelet he'd given her for Christmas. The rest of the evening passed relatively quickly, and Rose was soon encouraging Noah out of the bathtub and drying him off, before helping him slip his pyjamas on. Once Noah had had his bedtime story and was drifting off to sleep, Rose headed back downstairs.

"How was work?" the Doctor asked her as they curled up on the sofa together.

"Boring," Rose replied tiredly "but it got better when I got to come home to you and Noah,"

Rose grinned up at her husband as he kissed her on the forehead.

"Glad to hear it," he replied, grinning back at her.


	54. Siblings

**A/N: I'm back! There was going to be a 'Fathers Day' chapter, but I felt we'd had too many present-giving chapters all bunched up together, so I left it out. Anywho, read and review, and let me know if you'd like the Doctor and Rose to adopt more children…**

Lungbarrow: Siblings

It was a few days after Fathers Day, and Rose was at work, meaning that the Doctor and Noah were home alone together. They were in front of the TV, watching a Disney movie and eating Jelly Babies. Not tearing his gaze from the TV, Noah suddenly piped up.

"Daddy, Mummy and Tony are brother and sister, yeah?"

"Yeah," the Doctor replied slowly, wrenching his gaze from the TV to look at his son curiously "Mummy's Tony's big sister."

"How come I don't have sisters or brothers?" Noah asked quietly, still quite happily watching the film.

The Doctor froze, blinked and looked at the boy, unsure what to say.

"Well," the Doctor began uncertainly, taking a deep breath "the reason you don't have any brothers or sisters is because Mummy and I don't have any plans to adopt any other children soon."

Noah finally tore his gaze from the TV, brow furrowed as he frowned in confusion at his Dad.

"I was adopted." He said after a while.

"That's right," the Doctor told the boy, nodding.

"But you and Mummy might want a baby." Noah continued, sounding hopeful.

The Doctor sighed, looking away from the little boy for a few moments as tears welled in his eyes. However, he suddenly found himself looking at Noah again as the little boy got to his feet and put his hand on his arm.

"Daddy?" Noah asked worriedly.

The Doctor attempted a shaky smile at the boy, brushing his tears away. But before he could tell the boy he was alright, Noah was hugging him.

**~StormWolf10~**

Later, when the Doctor was dishing up Noah's dinner, he was aware that the little boy was watching him carefully. Noah hadn't said much else since earlier, but the Doctor knew he wanted to ask something.

"Yes, Noah?" the Doctor asked as he placed Noah's dinner in front of him at the table.

The boy ate earlier than his parents because of how late they worked at Torchwood, and Noah happily tucked into his dinner. Noah blinked and looked up at his Dad, mouth open and full of food.

"Swallow first," the Doctor told his son sternly.

Noah quickly swallowed his food before beginning to speak.

"Will you and Mummy adopt again? Like you did with me?" he asked curiously.

The Doctor stuttered, unsure how to answer, and he suddenly busied himself with feeding Smoky, who had just appeared in the doorway looking for food.

"I'm not sure, Noah," the Doctor admitted after a while "that would be something Mummy and I would have to discuss."

"Oh." Noah replied, sounding a little downtrodden. Then; "Can you ask when she gets home?"

"Noah, it's not really something I can just spring on Mummy," the Doctor explained gently, sitting opposite the boy at the dining table "it will take a lot of discussion."

Noah sighed, and began stabbing slightly viciously at his fish fingers and chips.

"Noah?" the Doctor asked the boy, encouraging the boy to look at him as he frowned "What's the matter? Why are you suddenly asking about siblings?"

Noah shrugged and didn't look up from his plate. The Doctor frowned, and began thinking back to anything that may have triggered the little boy's questioning. Nothing he knew of had happened the past three days, and on Saturday they'd been at Jackie's and Pete's. The Doctor froze as everything began sliding into place in his mind.

"Noah, are you getting lonely?" he asked the boy softly.

Noah shrugged again, but there was something about the boy's body language that told the Doctor he was right. It was the Doctor's turn to sigh now, and he was beginning to regret not sending the boy to nursery. He was starting school in three months time, which would mean he'd begin meeting a lot of children his age and- hopefully- making friends, but that wouldn't help now. The Doctor glanced at the clock. Rose would be home soon. Maybe he should have a talk to her when she got in…

**~StormWolf10~**

"Mummy!" Noah yelled excitedly, barrelling into Rose's legs barely seconds after she'd stepped through the front door.

"Hello, Noah!" Rose greeted her son with a wide grin, lifting the boy into her arms.

The Doctor grinned and made his way over to his wife and son. However, he froze as Noah began talking.

"Mummy, can I have a brother or sister? Daddy said he'd talk to you!"

Rose's eyes flickered over to the Doctor's, and he shrugged apologetically, his heart breaking at the flash of pain that went through her eyes.

"I think," Rose replied to her son, attempting a smile again "we need to have a talk about this, yeah?"

Noah nodded eagerly, and Rose lowered him to the ground, slipping her coat off. Rose then led her three year old to the front room and sat him on the sofa. The Doctor sat the other side of Noah, watching the boy carefully.

"Why do you want a brother or sister then, buddy?" Rose asked her son, smoothing his hair down.

"So I'll have someone to play with." Noah answered quickly.

"Ok," Rose replied, nodding encouragingly at the boy "you understand that Daddy and I will be adopting again, yeah?"

Noah's frowned, scrunching his nose up in confusion.

"Why? Don't you and Daddy want a baby?" Noah asked.

The Doctor glanced at his wife, and Rose nodded for him to take over.

"You see, Noah, Mummy can't have children, that's why we adopted you." The Doctor explained carefully, watching both his son and wife.

Noah thought for a few moments before returning his attention to his Mum. He got to his feet on the sofa, and Rose's hands automatically went to Noah's hips to steady him. Noah quickly threw his arms around Rose's neck, hugging her.

"I'm sorry, Mummy," he told her quietly.

Tears immediately sprung to Rose's eyes as she hugged Noah, rubbing his back gently.

"Don't be, sweetheart," she told him gently, kissing Noah on the forehead "else we wouldn't have adopted you."

Noah pulled away, grinning, and he laughed as the Doctor tugged him backwards onto his lap. Rose smiled, watching as her husband began tickling the little boy. And, in the back of her mind, she could see more children in the house, playing and laughing and chasing each other around. Maybe, she thought, maybe.


	55. Swimming Lessons

**A/N: Remember to R+R, let me know if you want the Doctor and Rose to have more kids…**

Lungbarrow: Swimming Lessons

Noah stood at the edge of the pool, watching his parents sceptically. He tugged at his Thomas the Tank Engine swimming trunks and eyed the pool warily for a few more moments.

"Come on, Noah, just sit on the edge of the pool and I'll help you in." the Doctor told the little boy.

He and Rose were already in the pool, but Noah had so far refused to get in. It was a Sunday morning, so although the pool was busy, it wasn't overly crowded. They'd even taken Noah into the little splash pool so they could teach him to swim, but the little boy was still unsure. All around them, children Noah's age and a bit older were happily splashing about in the somewhat shallow pool.

"What if I go under?" Noah asked weakly.

Rose sighed, and climbed out of the pool, sitting beside her son.

"That won't happen, sweetheart. Daddy and I bought you some armbands, and we won't let you go under, ok?" Rose told her son as she sat beside him.

Noah still looked rather frightened, so the Doctor quickly began slipping the armbands onto the little boy's arms, blowing them up.

"Better?" the Doctor asked his son once the armbands were secured around Noah's skinny arms.

Noah nodded uncertainly, and the Doctor began to lift Noah off the side and into the pool. Almost immediately, Noah's eyes went wide, but the Doctor kept a firm grip on the little boy as he settled him in the warm water. He held Noah there for several minutes before the boy realised that he really wasn't going to drown.

"Alright?" Rose asked her son as she slipped back into the pool.

"Yeah." Noah murmured.

**~StormWolf10~**

Nearly fifteen minutes later, Noah was splashing around in the pool, being held up in the water by Rose. They were trying to encourage the little boy to swim to the Doctor and then back to Rose again, but considering the amount of water he was kicking up, Noah wasn't actually getting very far.

"Noah, sweetie, you need to kick your legs out, not up," Rose told her son for the umpteenth time.

Noah blinked, freezing for a moment to look at his Mum, before beginning to kick again in exactly the same fashion as before.

Rose bit back a groan as the Doctor chuckled. The Doctor quickly waded over to his wife and son, stilling Noah and pulling him upright in the water. Noah was a lot more confident in the water now, and looked rather put out by the fact the Doctor had stopped him.

"Daddy!" he moaned, pouting.

"Noah, Mummy's already told you; you need to kick out, ok, buddy?" the Doctor told his son with a laugh.

Noah nodded, looking slightly confused. The Doctor helped Noah lay back down in the water on his stomach, resting his weight on most of his Dad's forearm.

"Good," the Doctor encouraged the boy with a smile "now kick out, towards Mummy,"

Noah did as he told, and was soon kicking out, splashing water up as he did so.

"Good boy!" the Doctor exclaimed, grinning at his son.

Noah grinned back.

"Now add your arms in, like we showed you," Rose encouraged the boy, moving round so Noah could see her.

As Noah began doing that, Rose waded backwards a bit in the shallow Childrens pool and the Doctor gradually lessened his grip on Noah's waist. He then bent his knees slightly to whisper in his son's ear.

"Ready?" he asked softly.

Noah nodded eagerly and the Doctor finally released the boy from his grip. Almost immediately, Noah began swimming somewhat awkwardly towards his Mummy, splashing Rose with water as he did so. When he finally found himself in Rose's outstretched arms, Noah was beaming widely.

"I did it! I did it!" he squealed excitedly, flinging himself at Rose, arms going around her neck.

"Yeah, you did!" Rose told her son with a grin, cuddling her to him.

**~StormWolf10~**

After an hour, the Doctor and Rose encouraged a rather reluctant Noah from the pool and back to the changing rooms. Entering the family changing rooms, the Doctor headed to the locker they'd locked their things in while Noah stood there shivering and picking at his swimming trunks. Rose watched in amusement as the boy grimaced at how his swimming trunks now clung to him like a second skin. The Doctor quickly pulled the two rucksacks from the locker and picked up a Thomas the Tank Engine beach towel, draping it over Noah.

"Come on then, buddy," the Doctor told his son as he handed Rose her rucksack "let's go get dried off."

Noah took the Doctor's hand and allowed him to lead him to one of the changing cubicles. Noah hopped up onto one of the benches, watching as his Dad pulled out clean clothes for the pair of them. Then, making sure that the curtain was pulled securely across the door of the cubicle, the Doctor knelt down and helped Noah out of his swimming trunks. The boy was soon towelled off and dressed in a t-shirt and shorts. The Doctor then poked his head round the curtain shielding them from the rest of the changing room.

"Right," he announced to Noah, pulling the curtain across again "Mummy's out there, why don't you go wait with her while I get dressed?"

"Ok, Daddy," Noah replied calmly, padding out of the changing room.

Sure enough, Rose was sat opposite the row of cubicles, already dressed and hair slightly damp.

"You alright, Noah?" Rose asked her son as he clambered up to sit beside her.

Noah nodded, grinning.

"Did you have fun today?"

"Yeah! Can we come next week too?" Noah asked eagerly, still beaming.

Rose chuckled.

"Well, we'll have to see," Rose replied with a smile "but if we're not busy, I don't see why not."

Several minutes later, they were joined by the Doctor, and they began heading back to the car.

"Do you need the toilet before we leave, Noah?" Rose asked her son.

"Nope," Noah replied cheerily.

They reached the car park and they strapped Noah into his car seat before setting off down the road. They'd gotten nearly halfway home before Noah spoke again.

"Mummy," he piped up uncertainly "I need the loo."


	56. School Uniform

**A/N: Another chapter! I've already started writing up for the new child(ren) the Doctor and Rose will adopt…**

Lungbarrow: School Uniform

By the time the summer holidays came about, Noah had been swimming three more times, and was eager to go with Tony to show him what he could now do. Of course, when September came, Noah would be starting school, at Edmonton Primary, same place as Tony. However, that meant that the Doctor and Rose only had six weeks until their little boy started school and they wouldn't see him for six hours a day. That was why they'd agreed to take Tony and Noah swimming together. The two little boys were splashing about in the pool, flicking water at one another and occasionally colliding with other people in the pool.

"We'll have to get them out soon," Rose told the Doctor "we've been here an hour and they'll be wanting lunch soon."

The Doctor nodded, pushing himself away from the side of the pool and wading over to the children. Although the boys tried to protest, they were soon in the changing rooms wrapped in towels. Once dry and dressed, they headed out to the car park.

"Do I have to go home now?" Tony asked, pouting at his sister.

"No," Rose replied as she helped him into his car seat "you're with us all day, Tony,"

Tony grinned as Noah cheered at that.

"Mummy, where are we going?" Noah asked as the Doctor and Rose climbed into the car and began driving out the car park.

"You'll have to wait and see, won't you?" Rose told the boy with a smile.

**~StormWolf10~**

By the time they drove into the car park at the zoo, Noah and Tony were bouncing up and down in their car seats excitedly. Helping the two boys out of the car, the Doctor made sure he had a firm grip on both boys' hands before they set off for the zoo entrance. Once inside, the boys tried scampering off again, this time in opposite directions.

"Don't go running off, you two," the Doctor told them, gripping the boys' arms tight "else we'll have to carry you."

Neither of the boys looked too happy about that, and soon stopped trying to run off.

"Can we go see the monkeys?" Noah asked, staring up at his Mum and smiling sweetly.

"Ok, we'll see the monkeys and then it's Tony turn to pick something, ok?" Rose told her son.

Noah nodded, and let go of his Dad's hand to begin tugging his Mum towards the monkeys, leaving the Doctor and Tony to hurry after them.

"Can we see the tigers after?" Tony asked, his hand still in the Doctor's.

"Sure we can," the Doctor told the boy with a smile.

**~StormWolf10~**

When they finally got back to the car, the boys were flagging. They'd eaten lunch at the zoo and taken them to the gift shop to buy them a toy each before leaving.

"Do I have to go home?" Tony whined tiredly as he clambered back into the car "I don't have school tomorrow, it's the summer holidays."

"I know, Tony, but I'm working and the Doctor's got to take Noah shopping for his school uniform tomorrow," Rose told her brother "and unless you want to come shopping, I'm afraid you'll have to go home."

Tony screwed his nose up at that and the Doctor chuckled.

"I know how you feel, Private," the Doctor told Tony with a grin as he slid into the drivers' seat "I don't wanna go either. But we're all going up to the Lake District next week, and you'll have an entire week to play with Noah."

**~StormWolf10~**

The next day, despite the Doctor's reluctance, he had to take Noah shopping for his school uniform. The little boy looked far from impressed by the fact he couldn't wear jeans, and was even more unimpressed when he found out he had to wear a shirt, tie and blazer.

"Noah," the Doctor sighed, crouching in front of the boy before he could have a tantrum right in the middle of the store "Tony has to wear the same uniform and I'm sure he doesn't find it that bad,"

Noah still looked sceptical, gazing at his reflection in the mirror of the store. He was dressed in a pair of black school trousers, black Velcro school shoes, a white shirt, green and black striped school tie and black blazer with green piping. However, the Doctor noted that the more Noah stared at his reflection, the less unsure he looked about the uniform. Eventually, he turned to the Doctor, sighing.

"Ok, Daddy," he replied, shoulder slumping.

The Doctor ruffled his hair and turned to the shop assistant.

"Yep, these sizes will do perfectly," he told her.

**~StormWolf10~**

When Rose returned home from work that night, the house was suspiciously quiet. Frowning, she hung up her coat and bag in the cupboard and headed for the front room.

"Hi," she greeted the Doctor quietly upon seeing him lying on the sofa, Noah asleep on his stomach.

"Hi," he replied quietly "how was work."

Rose scrunched up her nose.

"Hectic," she replied "did you get Noah's uniform?"

The Doctor nodded.

"Yeah," he told her "cost a fortune though. I got two blazers, three pairs of trousers, five shirts and a pair of shoes. I got two ties as well, in case he loses one. I picked up his PE kit as well, but that was easier as it was just a white t-shirt and green shorts."

Rose nodded, moving to crouch beside the sofa, smoothing Noah's hair back from his forehead.

"He's out like a light, isn't he?" Rose murmured, a small smile on her lips.

"He barely managed to stay awake for dinner," the Doctor agreed, smiling at his wife.

Rose sighed and glanced at the clock. It was five thirty.

"Do you think it's too early to get him off to bed?" she asked the Doctor uncertainly.

The Doctor also glanced at the clock before replying.

"We might as well, I don't think he'll wake up soon, so we might as well put him to bed."

As the Doctor moved to sit up, anchoring Noah to him as he did so, he remembered something.

"Oh, we'll have to make sure we get a photo of Noah in his school uniform," he told Rose "you'll love it!"

Rose grinned.

"He's that cute, huh?" Rose asked, carefully taking Noah from her husband, lifting him into her arms.

"Your Mum won't want to leave him alone." the Doctor confirmed with a grin "Which reminds me, we'll have to get a photo of Noah and Tony together in their school uniforms."

Rose nodded, watching as the Doctor got to his feet.

"You get Noah settled in bed and I'll sort us out some dinner," he told her, kissing her gently.


	57. Noah Lungbarrow's Fourth Birthday

**A/N: Not too sure about this chapter, but I figured I'd post it- certainly didn't want to skip this one ;)**

Lungbarrow: Noah Lungbarrow's Fourth Birthday

It was August 31st and Noah was sat at the dining room table, grinning as Rose carried the birthday cake over. The lights were low, and the Doctor, Rose, Jackie, Pete and Tony were singing 'Happy Birthday' to the boy. As the cake was placed in front of the boy, the Doctor was sure to get some photos, and Rose quickly prompted Noah to blow the candles out. Once the candles were blown out, Rose carefully pulled the cake from in front of Noah and began cutting it up, putting the slices onto plates. Both Noah and Tony immediately began tucking into the cake.

"Are you getting excited about starting school, Noah?" Jackie asked her grandson suddenly, watching him from across the table.

Noah paused for a few moments before nodding.

"Yeah," he answered, grinning "I get to make new friends!"

Rose grinned, sliding into the seat beside her son, smoothing his hair down.

"You're warming to your school uniform too, aren't you?" she told her son, who nodded.

Soon, Noah had finished his cake, only the stickiness of the icing remaining on his fingers and around his mouth. The Doctor led him to the sink and helped him wash his hands and face before letting him head back into the front room to play with his new toys.

**~StormWolf10~**

"What else did you get then, Cadet?" Pete asked his grandson.

He was sat on the floor with Noah and Tony, as Noah eagerly showed them what he'd gotten for his fourth birthday.

"Umm, Mummy and Daddy got me a bike," Noah announced, hurrying over to the corner of the room to bring the bike over.

Jackie and Pete had known about the bike, of course, as the Doctor had been putting it together at their house so that Noah wouldn't see it before his birthday, but Pete nodded and pretended he hadn't seen it before. It was a yellow, blue and red Bob the Builder bike with stabilisers, and Noah was stood beside it, grinning proudly.

"Wow, have you been out on it yet?" Pete asked Noah.

"Yeah," Noah nodded, still beaming "Daddy took me outside this morning."

Noah then proceeded to begin showing Pete all his other presents, including his Toy Story t-shirt, a blue bike helmet and a football set with two goals and a football. He'd gotten some more clothes from Jackie and Pete, as well as some board games, which he suddenly dragged over, sitting opposite Tony and Pete.

"Can we play this?" Noah asked, nudging the game towards his Granddad.

**~StormWolf10~**

When Noah's bedtime arrived, the Doctor and Rose had trouble getting the boy into his pyjamas.

"I don't wanna go to bed yet!" he protested, squirming in Rose's grip.

"Noah, sweetie, you've already stayed up an extra half hour," Rose told her son as she struggled to slip his pyjama bottoms on him.

Noah pouted and continued kicking out until the Doctor grabbed his legs.

"No, come on, buddy, you're getting over-tired now." The Doctor told Noah, lifting him from Rose's arms to settle him in the bed, drawing the duvet up to his chin.

Noah pouted again, shifting in the bed and trying to sit up, but the Doctor gently pushed him back into bed.

"Come on, Noah, we'll read you a story, yeah?" Rose told her son, heading over to the bookshelf and picking a book before crossing back to the bed.

She sat on the edge of the bed as she began reading the book, holding it so Noah could see the pictures and follow the words. Soon, however, he was asleep.


	58. First Day of School

**A/N: Another chapter! Read and review!**

Lungbarrow: First Day of School

Noah fidgeted as Rose ran the comb through his hair one last time.

"Mummy!" he protested, stepping back out of Rose's reach.

The Doctor chuckled and Rose rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, sweetie," she told him, pressing a kiss to his forehead "you just look so grown up!"

Noah grinned and stood slightly straighter at that. It was September 7th; his first day of school, and Noah was getting quite excited. They were at Pete and Jackie's Mansion on the pretence of letting Jackie and Pete see their Grandson before he started his first day of school, and also to get some photos of Tony and Noah together in their school uniforms. Tony, of course, was starting year one, so it was unlikely he'd see his nephew other than at break times. Rose was meant to be at work, but had managed to book the day off to take Noah to his first day of school.

"Come on then, you two," the Doctor told the two boys, handing them their black coats "we'd better get a move on,"

"Are you sure you're alright taking both of them, Rose?" Jackie asked her daughter worriedly.

"Of course, Mum," Rose replied with a smile "just remember to pick Tony up at three, Noah's only there until lunchtime for the first term."

Jackie nodded, watching as the Doctor helped Noah with his coat.

**~StormWolf10~**

When they reached Edmonton Primary, the Doctor quickly parked and helped Noah out. The little boy gripped his hand tight as he walked into the playground with his parents. Tony immediately scampered off to see his friends, many of whom he hadn't seen since before the summer holidays, leaving Noah with the Doctor and Rose. Edmonton Primary was, as the uniform suggested, a private school, attended mostly by the children of wealthy businessmen who resided in the Edmonton area, and Noah was unsure what to make of the other children. Many were bigger than him, running round the playground, laughing, and Noah cuddled into his Dad's side.

"You alright, buddy?" the Doctor asked, frowning and looking down at the four year old.

Noah didn't reply, only buried his face in his Dad's leg.

"Noah," Rose began gently, crouching in front of the little boy "you're gonna be fine, yeah. You'll only be here until lunchtime, and then Daddy and I will come and pick you up. Besides, you'll get to make lots of new friends!"

Noah brightened up at hearing his parents would be picking him up at lunchtime.

"Ok, Noah?" the Doctor asked, smoothing the boy's hair down.

Noah nodded.

"Ok," he replied quietly.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Just keep walking," the Doctor told Rose quietly, slipping his hand into hers.

Rose bit her lip, squeezing her hand and forcing herself not to look over her shoulder. She could still hear Noah crying, being held by a teaching assistant as they tried to encourage him into the classroom. No matter how much Rose had tried to assure the little boy that he'd see them again in a matter of hours, Noah had clung to her, sobbing. In the end, the Doctor had kissed the boy on the forehead, said goodbye to him and handed him to the teaching assistant before leading Rose from the room. As they made their way out of the school and back to the car, the Doctor could feel Rose trembling. Once they were seated in the car, he glanced over at his wife.

"You alright?" he asked gently.

"No," Rose admitted, sighing and resting her head back against the seat, closing her eyes "he's gonna hate us."

"He won't hate us, Rose," the Doctor assured his wife calmly "he'll be fine by the time we pick him up."

Rose looked at her husband sceptically.

"But you practically pushed him into that teaching assistant!" Rose told her husband, glaring slightly.

"Rose, the more you stayed with him, the more he was getting worked up," the Doctor explained carefully, reaching for Rose's hand and squeezing it gently "he was getting confused because you kept saying goodbye and then coming back when he cried. He'll settle down and forget all about it now."

Rose sighed again, knowing the Doctor was right.

"I know," Rose admitted quietly "it just hurt to walk away while he was crying."

The Doctor smiled weakly at her, understanding.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Today hasn't changed your opinion on giving Noah siblings, has it?"

Rose blinked, looking up at the Doctor.

"No," she replied slowly, brow furrowing "why would it?"

"Well, you got rather upset about having to leave Noah," the Doctor pointed out, sitting down on the sofa.

"Well, yeah, but we don't know how old the child, or children, we adopt will be. They might be older, they might be younger." Rose pointed out calmly.

The Doctor blinked.

"Children?" he echoed, a slow smile spreading on his face.

"Well, yeah," Rose answered, smiling slightly "you heard what Marie said the other day when we spoke to her; there's quite a lot of sibling groups that don't get adopted because they want to stick together and people don't have the space or the funds to take them on. We have both the space and the funds."

They had phoned Marie Jones a few days previously, and she still worked at the same Childrens home where they had adopted Noah from. They had explained that they were looking to adopt more children, and Marie had been eager to help. The Doctor nodded.

"I suppose so," he agreed "but we need to speak to Noah before we rush into anything. He might be a bit more reluctant after starting school."

**~StormWolf10~**

"Hello, baby!" Rose told Noah, grinning as the little boy barrelled into her arms.

"How was he?" the Doctor asked the teaching assistant.

"He was fine," the teaching assistant admitted, pushing his glasses back up his nose "I'm Mr Strong, by the way,"

"Pleased to meet you," the Doctor greeted the man, shaking his hand "I'm Jonathan Lungbarrow."

"Daddy!" Noah yelled suddenly, waving a piece of paper in the Doctor's face "Look what I did!"

"Wow, that's good, Noah!" the Doctor told his son as he looked at the drawing the boy had done "Did you have fun today?"

Noah nodded eagerly, beaming.

"I'll see you tomorrow then, yeah, Noah?" Mr Strong asked the boy, smiling.

"Yeah!" Noah replied excitedly.


	59. Daddy's Sick Day

**A/N: Not much Noah in this chapter, and Tony doesn't actually speak, but yeah…**

Lungbarrow: Daddy's Sick Day

Rose sighed, rubbing her husband's back gently as he threw up.

"You're not going in to work today," she told him gently, getting to her feet to grab a damp flannel.

"I'm sure I'll be fine," the Doctor mumbled, breathing heavily before launching forward to throw up down the toilet bowl again.

Rose merely raised an eyebrow and wiped the Doctor's sweaty forehead.

"Doctor, you can't even get back to bed, let alone go in to work." she pointed out calmly "Now, I called Mum, and she's going to come by and take Noah to school for us, and Dad's coming with her."

"Why's your Dad coming?" the Doctor mumbled, his head still halfway into the toilet bowl.

"Because we need to get you back to bed." She told him with a sigh "We can't leave you on the floor all day, and I can't lift you on my own; you're too much of a dead weight like this."

The Doctor grunted and shifted up onto his knees again as he expelled the contents of his stomach once more.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Now, your Gran's taking you to school today, alright, Noah?" Rose told her son as she helped him into his school blazer.

"Why?" Noah asked, scrunching his nose up.

"Because Daddy's not very well and I need to stay home with him," Rose explained as she began combing the boy's light brown hair.

"Is he ok?" Noah asked in concern, eyes growing wide.

"Yeah, it's just a tummy bug." Rose assured her son, hoping she was right "Now, Gran will be bringing you home from school too, so you need to give this letter to your teacher, alright?"

Noah nodded, watching as his Mum straightened and showed him the letter before slipping it into his schoolbag. Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Rose hurried to open it, relieved to see her parents and brother.

"Hi, sweetheart, how is he?" Jackie asked, glancing up the stairs as she entered the house.

"I left him in the middle of the bathroom floor," Rose admitted wearily "I had to get Noah ready for school and I couldn't move him on my own."

"I'll go on up," Pete told his daughter, ruffling Noah's hair as he passed the boy "he's in your en suite, right?"

Rose nodded, watching her father ascend the stairs. Sighing, she turned back to Noah.

"Right, I'll see you at lunchtime, yeah?" she told Noah as she helped him with his coat.

The boy nodded, but Jackie quickly chipped in.

"Actually, how about I take him back to ours, sweetheart?" Jackie suggested "I can sort out some lunch for him, and then I'll ring at about two thirty, see if the Doctor's any better. If he is, I'll drop Noah home on my way to pick Tony up, and if not, I'll hold onto him for a few more hours."

Rose bit her lip, thinking for a few moments before glancing down at Noah.

"Is that alright with you, Noah?" she asked the four year old.

Noah nodded, smiling at his Mum.

"Ok, I'll see you later, sweetheart," Rose told Noah, kissing him on the forehead and nudging him towards Jackie.

Jackie smiled and hurried the two boys from the house.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Doctor, you can't stay on the floor," Pete told his son in law sternly for the fourth time in as many minutes.

The Doctor moaned slightly, still curled up on his side on the floor.

"Please don't move me," he mumbled tiredly, eyes shut.

"No, come on, Doctor," Rose murmured, kneeling beside her husband and smoothing his hair back from his sweaty forehead "you'll be much more comfortable once Dad and I get you back to bed."

The Doctor let out a pained sigh and was silent for several moments before speaking again.

"Ok." He mumbled "Just do it quickly."

Pete sighed and crouched beside him, getting his hands under his arms and hauling the Doctor up. The Doctor groaned as his stomach protested, and Rose hurried to his other side, taking half of her husband's weight. Between them, Pete and Rose managed to get the Doctor into bed. The Doctor sighed in relief as Pete helped him lift his legs up.

"I hate being sick," he muttered, eyes closed.

Rose smiled, toying with the Doctor's sweaty fringe as she sat on their bed.

"No one likes being sick," she replied gently "but it won't be for long. It's just a stomach bug."

"Doesn't make it any nicer." The Doctor replied, cracking one eye open to glare at his wife.

Pete chuckled at that, nodding in agreement.

"True," Pete agreed with a smile "now, if you two are alright, I'll head off now."

Both the Doctor and Rose nodded, and Rose stood up.

"I'm just gonna see my Dad out, ok?" she told the Doctor, kissing his forehead "I'll bring a bottle of water and a bucket up with me when I come back."

The Doctor nodded wearily, eyes fluttering shut again. With one last glance at him, Rose and Pete left the room, heading downstairs.

"Don't hesitate to call me if you need any more help," Pete told Rose gently when they reached the front door.

Rose nodded, smiling gratefully at her Dad.

"Will do," she told Pete with a smile.

When she did return upstairs, bucket and bottle of water in her hand, the Doctor was asleep.

**~StormWolf10~**

Rose lifted Noah onto her hip, hugging the boy close. Jackie had just come to drop the boy off as she headed down to pick Tony up from school.

"Is Daddy ok now?" Noah asked, frowning at his Mum.

"Yeah," Rose told her son, smiling gently "he's feeling a lot better now. He's asleep at the moment, but if you promise to be quiet, you can go up and see him in a few minutes."

"He's been ok, then?" Jackie asked cautiously.

Rose nodded.

"Yeah, he's managing to keep water down. Wasn't actually sick that much, must have just been a passing bug." Rose explained to Jackie.

Jackie opened her mouth to speak, but Rose quickly cut in.

"And yes, I scrubbed the bathroom and washed my hands. No chance of Noah catching whatever it was."

Jackie nodded slightly sheepishly.

"Well, I'd better go pick up Tony," Jackie announced suddenly, moving to kiss Noah goodbye.

"Thanks for picking Noah up for me, Mum," Rose told Jackie with a smile as Jackie headed back out of the house.

"Oh, it was no bother, sweetheart," Jackie told her daughter as she climbed into her car.

Rose shut the door behind her Mum, Noah still on her hip.

"How about we go and see if your Daddy's awake now, yeah?"

"Yeah!" Noah exclaimed.


	60. Leanne and James

**A/N: New characters! Hope you like them! Read and Review :)**

Lungbarrow: Leanne and James

Noah quickly unclipped his seatbelt, and was soon helped from the car by Rose. Taking her hand, Noah allowed himself to be led into the building.

"Hello, Noah!" Marie Jones announced, hurrying towards the boy.

Noah grinned and allowed Marie to hug him. They were, of course, back at the Childrens home where they'd met Noah for one very special reason; hopefully today, after hours of discussion, Noah would be getting some siblings. Marie quickly greeted the Doctor and Rose and led the family to her office.

"Now, you said on the phone that you'd be willing to adopt a sibling group, yes?" Marie asked as they sat down in her office.

"Yeah," the Doctor replied, nodding.

"Well, you can say no if you want, but we've got a girl and a boy in here, siblings, that have been here for several months now. They haven't been adopted because they don't want to be split up and many of the families weren't willing to take on the girl." Marie explained carefully.

"Why's that?" Rose asked, brow furrowing as Noah clambered onto her lap.

"It's nothing bad, I assure you," Marie replied quickly, a smile on her face "it's just that the girl is twelve and her brother is seven. Not many people are willing to adopt a twelve year old."

The Doctor and Rose glanced at each other for a few moments before the Doctor spoke.

"Well, we'd be willing to take the pair of them,"

"Oh, excellent! Tell you what, follow me and you can come and meet them. And don't worry, they're not as shy as Noah was!"

Noah giggled at that, pressing his face into Rose's shoulder.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Leanne?" Marie called through the door, knocking on it "Is James in there with you?"

"Yeah," they heard someone call back.

"I've got a family here, the one I told you about, can we come in?" Marie asked cautiously.

There was movement on the other side of the door, and it was suddenly opened to reveal a girl with shoulder length blonde hair. She looked to be roughly the same height as Rose, and had green eyes and a pair of headphones around her neck. She was dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and an oversized red hoodie. She smiled awkwardly at them.

"Might as well come in, then," she told them, stepping back from the doorway to let them in.

They filed in to the room, and Rose noted a little boy sat on the floor playing with a remote control car.

"I'm Leanne and this is James," Leanne told them nervously, nodding towards her younger brother.

James looked up at the sound of his name, and smiled weakly at them. Like his sister, he had green eyes, but his hair was more of a dirty blonde, bordering on light brown.

"Hi," he greeted them quietly.

Noah was gripping Rose's hand, unsure whether to go over to the boy, and Rose suddenly let go of his hand, nudging him across the room. Stumbling slightly, Noah crossed to James, who had now gotten to his feet.

"I'm Noah." Noah announced, smiling at the boy.

James blinked, clearly unsure how to respond, so Marie quickly stepped in.

"How about you two spend an hour or two with Noah and his parents, get to know them?" she suggested "James, I'm sure Noah would love to see your dinosaur toys,"

James nodded eagerly.

"Come on!" he announced to Noah, grabbing the younger boy's hand and tugging him from the room.

"Bring them back here," Leanne called after her brother, rolling her eyes.

Marie smiled.

"If you need me, I'll be downstairs in my office," she told them before leaving the room.

Leanne sank onto her bed, and the Doctor and Rose stood in the middle of the room for a while in a somewhat awkward silence before Rose crossed the room and sat beside the twelve year old.

"So," Rose began awkwardly "Marie told us you've been here for several months."

"Yeah," Leanne nodded "every time a family turned up, they were only interested in adopting James and not me." She suddenly faltered, wide-eyed "You're not gonna do that, are you?"

"No, no," Rose assured the girl quickly, squeezing her arm reassuringly and smiling "we'd like to adopt the pair of you."

Leanne blinked, looking from Rose to the Doctor and then back again. And then she gaped.

"You're…You're Pete Tyler's daughter!" she realised, still staring.

Rose chuckled and the Doctor grinned, heading over and sitting on the floor in front of the bed.

"Yeah," Rose replied with a grin "yeah, I am. Guessing you've seen the media coverage, then?"

Leanne nodded, evidently still a little stunned.

"Don't worry, though," the Doctor chipped in, speaking for the first time "we try to avoid the press as much as possible,"

Just then, Noah and James came running back into the room, both carrying a pile of dinosaur toys.

"Daddy! Look!" Noah exclaimed, dropping to his knees beside his Dad to show him the toys.

"Wow, that's a lot of dinosaurs, isn't it, Noah?" the Doctor asked his son, grinning, before looking over at James "You like dinosaurs then, James?"

James nodded, sitting beside Noah on the floor.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Would we have to call you Mum and Dad?" Leanne asked Rose suddenly, quietly.

Noah and James were playing with the dinosaurs, both boys sprawled on their bellies on the floor and getting on famously.

"Not if you don't want to," Rose assured the girl gently.

Leanne nodded slightly, and ducked her head. It took a few moments for Rose to realise that the girl was crying.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Rose asked the girl softly, tugging her in for a hug but being careful not to attract the boys' attention.

Leanne didn't reply, only rested her head on Rose's shoulder, and Rose sighed.

"Do you wanna go outside and talk about it?" she asked the girl quietly.

Leanne nodded, and Rose helped the girl to her feet, guiding her from the room and pulling the door to. The Doctor had remained in the bedroom with the two boys, although he had also noticed that Leanne was crying.

"What's wrong?" Rose asked Leanne, rubbing her back as the girl continued to sob "If this is going too fast, just let us know, yeah? We can slow things down,"

Leanne shook her head frantically at that.

"No! It's not going fast enough!" the girl protested, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her hoodie.

Rose frowned in confusion, and Leanne hastened to clarify her statement.

"We've been stuck in here for months, an' I was beginning to think we'd never get out," she admitted tearfully "and now I feel awful about getting excited about having another family so soon after we lost Mum."

"You have nothing to feel guilty about," Rose told the girl, rubbing her arms to try and comfort her "and I'm not gonna replace your Mum if you don't want me to. I don't care if you call me Mum or not,"

Leanne smiled weakly and nodded.

"Tell you what," Rose continued, smiling "how about we go back into your room and sit the boys down and have a talk, yeah? Because if you and James are really happy to come and live with us, we'll see if we can get Marie to speed things along."

Leanne nodded, a watery smile spreading across her lips.

"I'd like that," she admitted quietly.

"Come on, then," Rose told her, tugging her back into the room.


	61. One Year

**A/N: Ooh! Over a hundred reviews! Thanks guys! Also glad that people like the new kids- I was rather wary of having Leanne because of how much older she is than Noah… Also, more will be revealed about them in time.**

Lungbarrow: One Year

The day was November 28th. It was circled on the Doctor's and Rose's calendar in the kitchen, an imperfect circle in green felt pen. It was a Saturday, and it marked a very special occasion in the Lungbarrow's lives. It was, in fact, the one year anniversary since they'd adopted Noah. The Doctor had managed to book the day off of work, eager to spend the day with his family.

"Noah," the Doctor began over breakfast, watching the boy carefully "do you know what today is?"

Noah frowned for a few moments before answering uncertainly.

"Saturday?" he asked.

The Doctor chuckled and Rose grinned.

"Well, yes," the Doctor admitted to the boy, smiling "but today is also exactly one year since we adopted you."

Noah grinned at that, suddenly propelling himself from his chair to clamber onto Rose's lap, hugging her tight.

**~StormWolf10~**

The weather, of course, was atrocious, but that wouldn't spoil their day. Instead of heading out, they settled in the front room with an assortment of snacks and drinks before building a pillow fort and spending the day watching movies with Noah.

"When do Leanne and James get to come and live with us?" Noah asked suddenly, cuddled into the Doctor's chest.

"Not for a while yet, sweetheart," Rose admitted to the boy, quietly pleased that the boy was getting excited about the two older children moving in with them.

"Oh." Noah replied, disappointed "Will they be here for Christmas?"

The Doctor and Rose glanced at each other.

"I'm not sure," the Doctor admitted, "we'll have to ask Marie about that. Why? Would you like them to be here?"

Noah nodded eagerly. Ever since he'd met Leanne and James a month previously, he'd visited them a few more times and was becoming close to both of them, but James in particular. The two boys had a lot in common, and would happily play together for hours on end, even sometimes joined by Leanne. Rose and the Doctor shared a smile over Noah's head. This family was going to work.

**~StormWolf10~**

Rose couldn't help but grin as she helped Noah stick a new drawing on the fridge. Over the past year, there had been so many drawings Noah had wanted to stick on the fridge that every now and then, they had to take a few down.

"There we go, then," Rose announced to the boy with a smile, encouraging him back out of the room.

"Do you think Leanne and James will like it?" Noah asked, looking up at his Mum expectantly.

Rose smiled at her son and nodded.

"I'm sure they'll love it," she assured the four year old.

"And I can show it to them tomorrow, yeah?" Noah asked expectantly.

"Yeah," Rose answered.

Leanne and James were spending the day with them the next day so they could get to know them better. The adoption process had been started, but until it was official, they could only have Leanne and James with them for the day.

"And you'll ask about Christmas?" Noah continued, wide-eyed.

Rose laughed, nodding.

"Yes, of course we will!" Rose told Noah as she nudged him back into the front room.

"Good." Noah replied calmly, running back over to sit in the Doctor's lap.

**~StormWolf10~**

Later that night, after Noah was fast asleep in bed, the Doctor was making a cup of tea in the kitchen. He couldn't help but smile at the picture on the fridge; a wobbly, crayon-drawn picture of the outside of their house, with the Doctor, Rose, Noah, Leanne and James stood outside.


	62. Christmas

Lungbarrow: Christmas

"Are you guys strapped in?" the Doctor asked, glancing in the rear view mirror.

"Yeah," Leanne replied as James nodded.

The Doctor put the car into gear and began pulling out of the car park. It was December 24th and the Doctor and Rose had managed to arrange it so that Leanne and James could spend Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day with them, as well as sleeping over. On one of the days they'd had Leanne and James with them, they'd decorated their respective bedrooms and furnished them, and on another occasion they'd had them round to help decorate the Christmas tree with Noah. It wasn't an ideal setup at the moment, but it was helping Leanne and James adjust to family life again, and they were happily settling in to the family. They'd even met Jackie, Pete and Tony, although wouldn't be seeing them until Boxing Day as the Doctor and Rose had agreed that they should have Christmas Day with just the three kids.

"Did you write to Father Christmas, James?" the Doctor asked the seven year old, glancing in the mirror again.

"Yeah!" James answered eagerly, nodding "I asked for a remote control helicopter!"

"Ah, well," the Doctor replied with a smirk "do you think you've been good enough for that this year?"

"Yeah!" James nodded again, with conviction.

The Doctor grinned. Marie had passed on James' and Leanne's Christmas lists to them so they knew what the children wanted for Christmas, and they'd managed to get them quite a few things on their lists.

"And what about you, Lea?" the Doctor asked the girl.

Leanne snorted.

"I know full well that you know what I want for Christmas," she told him with a smile.

The Doctor chuckled and returned his attention to the road again. So Leanne knew about Marie giving them their Christmas lists. At least she'd kept quiet about Father Christmas not being real; both James and Noah will still adamant he existed.

**~StormWolf10~**

Upon arriving at the Doctor's and Rose's house, James slid out of the car, running to the door. Leanne followed quickly, although was trying not to look too keen. The Doctor grinned at that; Leanne was going to be thirteen in just a few months, and it was evident she was already acting like a teenager. Nonetheless, she was a very lovely girl to be around and often played with James and Noah.

"Hello, you two!" Rose greeted them when she opened the door.

"Hi!" James replied, beaming, already through the door.

James grinned as Rose hugged him to her.

"Go on," she told him, nudging him towards the front room "Noah's in the front room watching some cartoons."

Leanne hovered just inside the front door, watching the Doctor and Rose carefully as they shut the door.

"What's the matter, Lea?" Rose asked, frowning in confusion.

"How much do I owe you?" she asked, beginning to fumble in her rucksack.

"What do you mean 'owe us'?" the Doctor asked in confusion.

"Well, for getting James' Christmas presents for me," Leanne replied calmly.

Rose blinked. A few weeks previously, Rose had taken Leanne out while the Doctor took the two boys out so they could all get each other Christmas presents. Of course Noah had had to get James' present the day before so the boy wouldn't see it.

"You don't owe us anything, sweetheart," Rose told Leanne, arm going around the girl's shoulders "we're paying."

Leanne blinked, and opened her mouth to protest, only to have the Doctor cover her mouth with his hand.

"Seriously, Lea." He told her with a slight smile, although his tone was serious "We're adopting you, you're going to be family. You don't owe us anything."

Lea smiled and rested her head on the Doctor's shoulder.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Right, come on, you two," the Doctor announced to the two little boys who were playing with toy cars on the floor "time for bed."

"I don't wanna!" Noah protested, just as James voiced a similar statement.

"I wanna stay up and see Santa!" James exclaimed, frowning slightly.

"But Santa won't come if you're still awake," Rose pointed out to the boy, whose green eyes grew wide "and if you don't go to sleep, you won't get any presents."

The effect was instantaneous; both boys scrambled to their feet, grabbing their Christmas stockings and running from the room. The Doctor chuckled and quickly followed the boys upstairs to make sure they brushed their teeth.

"Is James always like this at Christmas?" Rose asked Leanne with a smile.

Leanne nodded.

"He was even worse when he was Noah's age," she replied.

"And what about you?" Rose asked the girl with a smirk.

"What about me?" Leanne asked, feigning ignorance as she returned her attention to her book.

"What are you like at Christmas?"

"I'm twelve," Leanne replied, eyebrow raised "I don't believe in Father Christmas."

"I didn't ask that," Rose replied with a smile.

Leanne shrugged.

"I dunno, I don't get as excited as I used to," she admitted quietly "not after Dad died."

An awkward silence suddenly descended on the room.

"Marie told us what happened," Rose told the girl quietly, reaching for her hand and squeezing it "about the bank raid."

Leanne let out a mirthless snort.

"He was in the wrong place at the wrong time," the girl replied bitterly "he'd only gone to the bank to get some money out. They shot him the moment he walked through the door."

Leanne wiped fiercely at the silent tears spilling down her cheeks, leaning into Rose, who hugged her to her.

"Do you talk about him to James?" Rose asked cautiously.

"Sometimes," Leanne answered "but Dad died before James was born."

Rose opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly James and Noah came barrelling in, both in their pyjamas.

"Hello again, you two, thought you were going to bed?" Rose asked the boys in amusement.

"Daddy said to say goodnight," Noah explained, reaching up for a hug.

Leanne disentangled herself for Rose so that she could lift Noah up and kiss him goodnight. As Rose did the same to James, Noah reached up for a hug from Leanne. Lea obliged and kissed his forehead.

"Night, you two," she told them as they ran back out of the room.

Once they were gone, Leanne sighed and slumped back against the sofa again, eyes fluttering shut.

"You ok?" Rose asked her softly, brow creasing in concern.

Leanne nodded. A few minutes later, they were rejoined by the Doctor, who sat on the other side of Leanne.

"What's up?" he asked, noticing her slightly red eyes.

"Nothing," Leanne answered quietly.

The Doctor watched her carefully for several moments before speaking again.

"You know you can talk to Rose and I about anything, right?"

Leanne nodded gratefully, and jumped when the Doctor tossed her the TV remote.

"You can pick what to watch. But don't expect it every night once your brothers are in bed!" he warned her with a smile.

**~StormWolf10~**

The next morning, the Doctor and Rose were woken early by not only Noah, but James and Leanne too, all three of them jumping on the bed. The Doctor cracked one eye open and sighed when he saw that it was only five am. Sitting up quickly, he grabbed Leanne's waist, dragging her down on the bed as Rose tugged Noah and James down by their arms. The family collapsed in a heap, the children still giggling excitedly.

"Did the boys wake you up?" the Doctor asked Leanne as she sat up again.

She shook her head, still giggling slightly. Rose grinned and raised her eyebrow at the twelve year old.

"And you told me that you didn't get excited as you used to," Rose reminded her.

Leanne shrugged, still smiling.

"Never used to have a proper family, did I?" she replied calmly.

She didn't seem to notice the Doctor and Rose pause at that, as she turned her attention to her brothers and began tickling them. Rose carefully extracted herself from beneath the three children, who were now kicking and laughing, and she curled into her husband's side.

"Right, you three," the Doctor announced suddenly, causing the children to halt and look at him "how about you all go grab your Christmas stockings and bring them in here, yeah?"

The kids nodded, and scrambled off the bed. They all returned to the room a few minutes later, each holding their stocking. Noah and James immediately settled themselves between the Doctor and Rose, and Leanne sat opposite them as they emptied the contents of their stockings on the duvet.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Come on, guys, you can carry on playing after dinner," Rose told the children as she nudged them out to the dining room.

The Christmas dinner was already set out in the middle of the table so that they could help themselves to whatever they wanted. James and Noah clambered up onto chairs, still chatting animatedly with one another. The Doctor helped the two boys put their food on their plates, and they were soon all eating. Both boys ate quickly, as did Leanne, and Rose knew that this was because they were eager to get back to their presents. They'd gotten James the remote control helicopter he'd asked for, along with some new X Box games, some books and some more dinosaur toys. Noah had some extra track for his train set, as well as some colouring books and toy cars. Leanne, meanwhile, had been bought an iPod and some new headphones, which she still hadn't taken off. Despite the fact the boys were wolfing down their dinner and talking with their mouths full, and Leanne had her headphones on so wasn't actually talking to anyone, Rose couldn't help but grin at her husband. This was their family.


	63. Moving In

**A/N: More Leanne and James! Read and Review :)**

Lungbarrow: Moving In

Leanne hauled her suitcase out the boot of the car as the Doctor lifted James' out. It was the 28th January, and the pair had finally been adopted by the Doctor and Rose. James had happily changed his name to Lungbarrow, although Leanne had been a little reluctant about dropping 'Robertson'. She had, just a few hours before, decided to be a 'Lungbarrow' like her brother, but Rose had assured the girl that if she ever changed her mind, she could change her name back.

"Why don't you two go get yourselves settled into your rooms and I'll give you a shout when dinner's ready?" Rose suggested as she unlocked the door and led Noah inside.

"Ok," Leanne replied, already heading for the stairs with her suitcase.

Of course, a fair bit of their stuff was already in the house, brought over from when they'd spent the day here, or when they'd stayed over at Christmas. The Doctor hauled James' suitcase up the stairs for him, watching Leanne carefully as she headed straight for her room.

"I'll be downstairs with Rose if you need us, ok?" he told the girl as she opened her bedroom door.

Leanne smiled and nodded.

"Yeah," she replied, stepping into her room.

As she shut the door behind her, she leant against it, smiling as she looked around her room. The Doctor and Rose had let her pick everything, her own bed, the paint scheme, everything. Quickly, she crossed to the bed, dumping her suitcase on it and opening it. As she began to pull her clothes out and hang them up in the wardrobe, Leanne began making plans on how to personalise her bedroom further. Although the Doctor and Rose had been a bit sceptical, they'd let Leanne paint the walls black and burgundy, but it was only now that she realised how bare the walls looked. Grinning to herself, Leanne realised that a shopping trip was in order.

**~StormWolf10~**

Meanwhile, the Doctor was helping James unpack his things. A lot of his toys and books had been moved during the week so it was already in his room for him. Like Noah's, James' room was painted in a green colour, but he had lots of dinosaur decals on his wall.

"Where do you want this to go, James?" the Doctor asked the little boy, holding up a big book on dinosaurs.

The book was a little scruffy round the edges, suggesting that it were read often by the little boy, the pages well-thumbed-through. James thought for a few moments before replying.

"Near my bed."

The Doctor nodded, leaning over to put it on the bookshelf above the bed, put there solely for the boy's favourite books. They worked in silence for another few minutes before James spoke again.

"Jonathan," he began nervously, surprising the Doctor slightly- he was rarely called Jonathan outside of work- "do me and Leanne have to call you and Rose Mum and Dad?"

The Doctor crouched in front of the little boy, taking James' hands in his.

"You don't have to if you don't want to." The Doctor assured the boy gently "Rose and I have already discussed this with Lea, and we're not going to make you call us anything that might make you feel uncomfortable."

The boy nodded, before cautiously piping up again.

"Can…Can I change my mind later on?" he asked quietly, green eyes wide.

The Doctor smiled crookedly at that.

"You can change your mind as often as you like," the Doctor told the boy gently "and if you do change your mind later on, we'd be honoured. But, as I said, you don't have to call us anything you don't want to."

James grinned and quickly flung his arms around the Doctor's neck.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Could we go shopping next Saturday?" Leanne piped up over lunch, looking expectantly at Rose "I wanna get some posters and stuff for my room."

Rose smiled and nodded at the teenager.

"Sure we can," Rose replied.

"How about you two girls go shopping and I'll see if I can get us and the boys some tickets for football?" the Doctor suggested "Now that we've altered our work schedule, we might as well make use of it, and I doubt the boys want to go shopping."

Both Noah and James shook their heads vigorously at the mention of having to go shopping, and the Doctor grinned. Just before they'd adopted James and Leanne, Pete had called the Doctor and Rose up, suggesting another change to their work schedule. Pete had sorted it himself so that they wouldn't be losing any pay, but would both be free for the whole weekend to spend with the three children. Now, Rose worked Monday and Tuesday as usual, but she only worked Wednesday morning, while the Doctor worked Wednesday afternoon, Thursday and Friday. This meant that they both got Saturday and Sunday to spend with the kids, but there was always someone there to take the children to and from school.

"Is that alright with you, Lea?" Rose asked the girl, knowing that she was just a big a football fan as her brother.

Leanne, however, nodded, smiling eagerly.

"Well, there you go, then. It's agreed!" the Doctor announced with a grin "Next week, you girls can go shopping, and I'll take the boys to football."


	64. Shopping Trips and Football Matches

**A/N: I feel the need to point out here that I have never, and will never support Chelsea. I don't live in London, and the club was chosen purely because it's a well-known club. I have never been to the grounds, so it is all fictional, based on what I know and suspect from my own match day experiences.**

Lungbarrow: Shopping Trips and Football Matches

The Doctor sighed, lifting Noah onto his hip and making sure James was holding his hand tight. In retrospect, taking two young boys to football with just one adult wasn't a particularly good idea, but James and Noah had been so excited the Doctor simply couldn't tell them they couldn't go. The Doctor hadn't exactly been following football since his arrival on Pete's world three years ago now (three years, the Doctor thought to himself, how did that happen?) and so he was taking the boys to watch a Chelsea match at Stamford Bridge, purely because it was the club that James and Leanne had been brought up supporting. The grounds, of course, were on the other side of London, and the Doctor had finally resorted to carrying his four year old son and holding his seven year old's hand tight. James was wearing his Chelsea FC football top, and had leant Noah his scarf, although the Doctor and Rose had assured the boy that, if he decided to start actually supporting the club, they'd get him his own football top. Thanks to Pete's influences, they were at least in a private box, which meant there was no chance of the boys being jostled or being unable to see.

"Come on, James," the Doctor told the boy as he tugged him towards the correct gate.

It had taken then an hour and a half to get there, and it would take the same amount of time to get back. The Doctor had brought a rucksack of snacks for the boys, as it was highly unlikely they'd be home before seven that night, so they would have dinner when they got back, but until then they'd have to make do with crisps and biscuits.

"Good afternoon, sir," a man in a sharp suit greeted them with a smile as they stepped through the gates "if you'd like to follow me to your box?"

The Doctor grinned and nodded at the man.

"Lead the way," he announced.

The man quickly led them along the corridor and up some steps. The Doctor could tell immediately when they entered the VIP section, as they stepped onto expensive carpet and the walls no longer had crude graffiti scrawled on them.

"Here we are, sir," the man announced, opening the door to the private box "if you require drinks or food, there is a bar just down there," the man pointed back down the corridor they'd just walked down "for use of patrons in the private boxes only. The toilets are just next door. I hope you enjoy the match."

And, with that, the man bid them goodbye and shut the door. The Doctor let Noah slide from his grip, and turned round to see that James had already clambered into one of the posh upholstered seats, grinning. Noah was peering through the glass of the box, staring at the pitch in awe.

"You two alright?" the Doctor asked the boys with a grin as he sat himself down.

The boys both nodded, beaming.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Slow down, Lea!" Rose told the twelve year old as she finally managed to catch up with her "Don't wander too far ahead, or I'll lose you."

Leanne grimaced, ducking her head and mumbling an apology.

"Now, unless you wanna hold my hand like I make your brothers do, I suggest you slow down!" Rose told the girl with a grin.

Leanne grinned back.

"Sorry about that," the girl replied with a shrug.

"No problem," Rose replied, slinging her arm around the girl's shoulders "now, where are we going first?"

Leanne paused for a while, looking around the busy London street before dragging Rose into a shop.

**~StormWolf10~**

The Doctor glanced down at his phone as it buzzed to indicate a text. Looking at the two boys- who both had their noses pressed against the glass, watching the match intently- the Doctor opened the text. It was, of course, from Rose.

_How are the boys? Hope you're all enjoying yourself, Leanne's happy spending all our money!_

The Doctor grinned and quickly set about replying to his wife's text.

_The boys are fine, enjoying themselves a lot. I think we may have to fork out for a football shirt for Noah. Glad Lea's enjoying herself._

He then returned his attention to the game as the crowd let out a huge cheer, and the Doctor saw that the ball had just flown into the back of the net. He'd never been a particularly big fan of watching football- he'd always enjoyed playing sport more than watching it- but seeing how excited the two boys were getting over the match, the Doctor couldn't help but grin. While the boys were stood in front of the glass, watching the match intently, the Doctor quickly took a photo of the pair of them and text it to Rose.

**~StormWolf10~**

Leanne grabbed another two posters, and was about to hand them to Rose when she paused and glanced over at the other several posters Rose was already holding.

"What's up?" Rose asked with a frown, noticing Leanne's pause.

"Nothing," Leanne replied quickly, putting the posters back.

Rose smiled slightly, guessing what was wrong with Lea.

"You can get all the posters if you want them," she told the girl with a smile "the tickets for football for the boys cost a lot more than these posters will cost."

"Are you sure?" Leanne asked nervously, biting her lip.

"Yeah," Rose told the girl, taking the posters from her "besides, the boys don't need to know how much it cost, do they?"

Leanne grinned and followed Rose to the till.


	65. School

**A/N: Another chapter! Very Leanne-centric, this chapter, but I felt it probably needed to be done. There will admittedly be several chapters over the next few months that are rather Leanne-centric, due to the plots I have planned.**

Lungbarrow: School

"Right," the Doctor announced, turning to look round at Leanne, who was climbing out the car "are you sure you'll be alright to get home on your own? I can pick you up if you want."

Leanne grimaced, already aware of how many of her new classmates were sniggering at the fact she'd been dropped off to school.

"I'll be fine." Leanne replied quickly.

Before the Doctor could say anything else, Leanne had slammed the car door shut. She took a deep breath and headed into the school grounds. It was her first day at her new school, Edmonton Academy, and the twelve year old was rather worried. She'd been due to start last week, just two days after moving in with the Doctor and Rose, but they'd held her and James back for an extra week to settle them in. Entering the school building, she smoothed down her blazer and tugged at her ponytail slightly, quickly stepping out the way as a gang of year elevens almost knocked her over. She sighed, deciding that she couldn't wait to be in year eleven; she'd almost be at the end of school, all the other years would look up to them, and she wouldn't be 'the new kid in year eight'. As the bell rang, Leanne began hurrying along the corridor, trying to find her tutor room.

**~StormWolf10~**

"I'll see you later, alright, Noah?" the Doctor told the little boy as he led him into his classroom.

Noah nodded, waving goodbye to James as Mr Strong led him inside the classroom. Noah had somewhat attached himself to Mr Strong since starting school, and although the Doctor and Rose worried about what would happen when he moved up to year one and had to leave the teaching assistant behind , it at least made mornings easier as the boy didn't protest about being left.

"Come on, then, James," the Doctor told the little boy, leading him along to the year two classrooms.

The boy seemed a little nervous, so the Doctor kept hold of the boy's hand tight until he reached the classroom.

"Ah, hello!" the teacher announced with a smile when he saw them "I'm Mr Scott. You must be James?"

James nodded warily, and Mr Scott crouched in front of him.

"No need to be nervous, James," Mr Scott told him gently "I'm sure you'll get on very well with the rest of the class."

James blinked before looking up at the Doctor, unsure. The Doctor smiled reassuringly at the boy and nudged him towards Mr Scott.

"I'll see you later, yeah?" the Doctor told James gently.

Still a little wary, James nodded and let Mr Scott ushered him into the classroom.

**~StormWolf10~**

"But you enjoyed it, yeah?" the Doctor asked as James eagerly told him about everything he'd done at school.

"Yeah!" James insisted, grinning.

"And we played tag at playtime!" Noah announced, grinning at his older brother.

"Ah, you managed to find each other, then?" the Doctor asked the boys with a smile.

"Uh huh! And Tony played too!" James added.

They were sat in the front room, both boys happily colouring while the Doctor sat with them on the floor. Just then, the front door was unlocked and, guessing it was Leanne, the Doctor got to his feet.

"Hi, Lea-" he began as he stepped out of the front room.

"I'm never going to that school again!" Leanne cut in, yelling as she slammed the door shut.

The Doctor watched in shock as the twelve year old dumped her school bag before hurrying upstairs. The Doctor winced as he heard her bedroom door slam shut.

**~StormWolf10~**

At half past five, Rose finally returned home from work.

"Oh, thank god you're home!" the Doctor exclaimed as Rose came into the dining room.

Rose blinked.

"Well, that's not usually the welcome I get," Rose smirked, kissing her husband on the cheek before ruffling James' and Noah's hair.

Then, she frowned, noting that only James and Noah were eating; Leanne was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Lea?" she asked, frowning in confusion at her husband.

The Doctor flushed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"We-ell," he began awkwardly "she went straight up to her room after getting home from school. She's obviously upset about something, but she wouldn't talk to me about it, and she won't open her bedroom door."

Rose sighed, nodding.

"I'll go speak to her," Rose told her husband with a sigh.

Rose then headed from the dining room, heading upstairs to Leanne's room. She paused to knock on the door, and when there was no answer, she cautiously opened the door.

"Lea?" Rose asked, poking her head around the door.

"What?" the girl asked bitterly, laying face down on her bed.

Rose sighed and slipped into the room. Leanne had changed out of her school uniform and into a pair of skinny jeans and a t-shirt, and Rose crossed the room to sit on the bed beside her.

"What's wrong, Lea?" Rose asked gently, rubbing the girl's back gently.

"I'm not going back to that school." Leanne told her quickly, voice slightly muffled by her pillow.

"Why not?" Rose asked, tugging on Lea's arm to encourage her to sit up.

"Because everyone there hates me."

"I'm sure that's not true," Rose protested, sighing again.

Leanne merely glared back in response.

"No one would talk to me all day."

"Lea, it was your first day," Rose replied calmly "give it a few days and you'll have made load of friends!"

Leanne scoffed and flopped back down against the duvet again. Rose's face fell as she watched the twelve year old.

"Are you coming down for dinner?" she asked.

"I'm not hungry." Leanne answered quietly.

With a sigh, Rose stood up and left the room. Come morning, Leanne would be alright. Hopefully.


	66. Noah's Sick Day

**A/N: You guys had better appreciate this chapter! I'm working hard on getting some of my other fics finished (Amelia Pond and the boy who fell out of a tree, Kiss the Girl etc.) so I can start focusing on just Lungbarrow and Organic Farming again, both of which seriously need updating. I'm also attempting a sequel to 'We're All Stories in the End', and am open to ideas and titles for the story, so PM me if you wanna help out! Anywho, on with Lungbarrow now…**

Lungbarrow: Noah's Sick Day

"Mummy!" Noah whined almost as soon as Rose had stepped through the door "I don't feel well!"

Rose sighed, quickly dropping to her knees in front of the little boy. She was already exhausted after a long day at Torchwood, and all she wanted to do was crawl into her bed and sleep for the next ten years. Of course, Rose knew that that was impossible, particularly with one preteen and two little boys at home, and she'd found herself being very tempted to just sleep in her car in the Torchwood car park. Dropping her bag to the floor, she carefully felt Noah's forehead.

"You feel a bit warm," Rose murmured, although more to herself than the four year old.

Noah pouted and nodded miserably, tears springing to his eyes. With a sigh, Rose straightened up and lifted the boy into her arms, just in time to see the Doctor coming out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a tea towel.

"I thought you were supposed to be on the sofa resting?" the Doctor asked Noah, frowning slightly.

Noah sniffed, burying his face in Rose's shoulder.

"Don't feel well," the boy murmured again.

"How long's he been like this?" Rose asked her husband quietly as she carried the boy back into the sitting room.

"School phoned me at about one and asked me to come and pick him up." The Doctor replied, watching as Rose settled the boy on the sofa again.

James was watching TV on the floor, while Lea was sat on the floor, her back against the wall as she text someone on her phone. Every now and then, she would pause, smile, and begin texting back quickly.

"Daddy," Noah piped up suddenly, quiet "my throat hurts."

"I'll get you another glass of water, yeah?" the Doctor told his gently, kissing the boy on the forehead before straightening up and leaving the room.

**~StormWolf10~**

Rose sighed, her head dropping into her hands. She had only been up an hour and a half, and already the day wasn't going well. When she'd gone to wake the children for school, she'd found that Noah had developed some sort of rash during the night and, already suspecting what it may be, she called the Doctor in for a second opinion. Within five minutes, they'd agreed that the little boy had chickenpox, and Rose called into the school to let them know Noah wouldn't be in for the rest of the week.

"Lea," Rose asked the girl, dragging her to one side of the kitchen to talk "have you and James had chickenpox before?"

"I have," the girl replied "but I don't remember James ever having it."

Rose sighed and nodded, letting the girl get back to her breakfast. Rose quickly relayed the information to the Doctor who rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Well," the Doctor said eventually, thoughtful "maybe it won't be too bad if James caught it too. I mean, yeah, we'll have two kids ill at the same time, but at least we wouldn't have to worry about James catching it when he's older, not unless he gets it again."

"So what do we do? Do we send him to school today?" Rose asked.

The Doctor nodded.

"Yeah." The Doctor replied "He's not showing any symptoms yet, and hopefully by the time James contracts it, Noah will almost be better."

"And what about you?" Rose asked her husband nervously "Will you be alright here with Noah while I'm at work? What if you get it too?"

The Doctor shook his head at that.

"I'll be fine, Rose," the Doctor assured his wife gently "I'll be alright with Noah, and I inherited my immunity from Donna, remember?"

Rose thought carefully for a few moments, before realising that the Doctor had already confirmed he'd inherited his immunity from Donna not long after he'd arrived on Pete's world, when Tony had had chickenpox.

"Ok," Rose said eventually, kissing the Doctor on the cheek "I'll take Lea and James to school and then I'll head into work. No sense in you bundling Noah into the car to take the other two to school when Dad already knows I'll be late."

"I'll see you later," the Doctor told his wife, ruffling James' hair as he passed.

Soon, Rose was bundling Lea and James into the car, and the Doctor waved them off. He then felt a tug on his jeans, and looked down to see Noah looking up at him, dressed in just a pair of thin pyjama bottoms.

"Daddy," Noah piped up tearily "I'm itchy."


	67. James' Sick Day

**A/N: This chapter is admittedly not as long as some of the others, but I really didn't want to miss this one out…**

Lungbarrow: James' Sick Day

It had been eight days since Noah had gotten chickenpox. The boy's spots were now beginning to scab over, but the Doctor and Rose still had to stop the boy from scratching. However, just as Noah appeared to be getting better, James appeared to be becoming ill. It had started much as Noah's had, and James had complained of a fever and a headache. The Doctor had bundled the seven year old up on the sofa with a bottle of water and let him watch cartoons all day with Noah while Rose was at work and Leanne was at school. By the next day, James had developed spots on his tummy and was complaining of being itchy. As it was Wednesday, Rose had been at work until lunch time, when she'd come home and the Doctor had gone to work for the afternoon.

"Mummy," Noah piped up suddenly "can I go out and play?"

"I'd rather you didn't, sweetheart," Rose told Noah tiredly "I won't be able to keep an eye on you from out there. Why don't you do some colouring instead?"

Noah pouted, but Rose refused to change her mind. James was thoroughly miserable, and Rose was loath to leave him for more than a few minutes at a time. Rose would never regret their three children, but having two ill children under the age of eight was beginning to take its toll on both the Doctor and Rose, and the couple were very aware of the fact they needed to make it up to Lea at some point, who had somehow gotten slightly forgotten about. The girl didn't seem to mind, particularly as she was usually up in her room, but Rose still felt bad about paying so much attention to the boys and not to Leanne.

"I don't wanna do colouring!" Noah grumbled, snapping Rose back to the present.

"Noah, sweetie, it's either colouring, reading a book, or playing with your toys. You're not allowed outside." Rose told the boy strictly.

"Mummy," James piped up suddenly, voice quiet "can I have another drink?"

Trying not to sigh, Rose forced a smile and nodded at the boy, getting to her feet and heading to the kitchen.

**~StormWolf10~**

"James, sweetheart, you mustn't scratch, ok? Else you'll end up with scars." Rose told the boy for what felt like the umpteenth time.

James sighed and flopped back against the sofa.

"I'm bored." James muttered, glaring at the ceiling.

"What do you want to do, then?" Rose asked the boy gently "Do you wanna do a jigsaw with Noah?"

Noah had finally settled himself on the floor, putting together a Toy Story jigsaw, and he looked up at the mention of his name. James, however, shook his head.

"How about we put a DVD on, then? Or we read a story?" Rose suggested, but again James shook his head "We could do some drawing, or play with your dinosaurs?"

As James shook his head for the third time, Rose sighed and glanced at the clock. Leanne would be home in just under ten minutes, but the Doctor wouldn't be back for another two hours or so, and Rose was running out of suggestions to attempt to amuse James. She'd phoned Jackie earlier for some help, and Jackie had told her that it was perfectly normal for a child with a fever and chickenpox to be achy and irritable, both of which James was complaining about often. With another sigh, knowing she'd regret the decision later; Rose got to her feet again and looked at the two boys.

"Right," she announced to them with a small smile "who wants ice cream?"


	68. Leanne Lungbarrow's Thirteenth Birthday

**A/N: This chapter was so much fun to write! Lea's such a fun character…Anyway, hope you enjoy!**

Lungbarrow: Leanne Lungbarrow's Thirteenth Birthday

It was March 5th, and Leanne and James had been living with the Doctor and Rose for just over a month. It was Leanne's thirteenth birthday, and as it was a Sunday, it meant the Doctor and Rose didn't have to go to work. However, as it was a Sunday, it also meant that Leanne wouldn't be awake much before ten despite everyone else being up at just gone eight. When Leanne finally trailed downstairs, she was met by a beaming Rose, who quickly hugged her and kissed her on the forehead.

"Happy birthday, Lea," Rose told the girl with a grin as she led the girl to the kitchen.

Noah and James had eaten almost an hour and a half earlier, when they'd gotten up, but the Doctor had cooked some more bacon and eggs for Leanne for her birthday.

"Here we are!" the Doctor announced with a flourish, grinning at the teenager as he plated up her food "You can eat it in the front room if you want, all your presents are in there."

Rose cleared her throat purposefully, and the Doctor grinned even more as he realised what Rose was getting at.

"And happy birthday, Leanne!" he told the girl, kissing her on the forehead.

Leanne grinned back, and the three of them headed into the front room.

**~StormWolf10~**

Once Leanne had eaten her breakfast, it was time for her presents. Both Noah and James had picked out their presents for Lea themselves, and had made their cards. Yet again, the Doctor had dug out the digital camera, and Leanne had fled to her room, demanding they gave her five minutes to get some mascara on before he even began taking photos. Once Leanne deemed herself 'presentable', she sat back down on the sofa, her brothers on either side of her as she opened her presents. Both boys were happy to see that Leanne liked their presents, and she hugged each of them, kissing them both on the forehead. She got money from Pete and Jackie, and had even gotten a birthday card and some money from Marie and everyone at the Childrens home. However, Leanne's brow furrowed when she saw that there were still several presents she hadn't unwrapped.

"What's up?" Rose asked the teenager in amusement.

"How come there's so many presents left?" Leanne asked in genuine confusion.

"Ah, I may have gone a little overboard." the Doctor admitted with a grin and a shrug "Don't worry, though, Rose checked them all over, I didn't get you anything weird."

Leanne chuckled, waiting eagerly as Rose brought the presents over. Rose watched somewhat nervously as Lea began to unwrap her presents. Although Leanne wasn't particularly girly, she did wear a bit of makeup, so Rose had quite happily bought her a new makeup bag and some makeup, which the teenager was delighted with. When Leanne opened the next present, she couldn't help but chuckle.

"Oh, that's one of mine." the Doctor told the girl with a grin as he glanced at the t-shirt she was now holding up "You like it?"

"It's great!" Leanne assured him with a grin, leaning over to hug the Doctor briefly.

The Doctor had found the t-shirt while he'd been looking for ideas on the internet, and he'd simply had to buy it for Lea. It was a red t-shirt with the words 'I am not awake yet. Don't even think about talking to me' printed across it. Still chuckling slightly, Leanne set the t-shirt aside and opened the next present. Again, the Doctor beamed, evidently proud of his present choices. This one was a plain white pillowcase with the words 'Today has been cancelled. Go back to bed.' on it. The next few presents consisted mostly of t-shirts and hoodies and CDs, but Leanne's smile didn't waver once. When she'd unwrapped all her presents, she launched herself at the Doctor and Rose, hugging them tight.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Lea repeated over and over again, grinning as she hugged them tight.

Rose chuckled while the Doctor grinned.

"I'm guessing you liked the presents, then?" the Doctor asked cheekily.

Leanne nodded, still beaming, and soon, Noah and James had joined the hug and the family collapsed in a heap in the middle of the sitting room floor.

**~StormWolf10~**

The rest of the day was mostly uneventful, but Leanne insisted on wearing her new t-shirt that the Doctor had picked out for her, and she changed her pillowcase for her new one. They took Noah and James for a walk in the afternoon, finishing off with tea at Jackie and Pete's, where the three young boys played in Tony's bedroom while Leanne stayed downstairs, texting someone on her phone. Recalling that Leanne had been eagerly texting someone for the past two weeks, Rose decided to ask the girl about it when they got home. The Doctor was getting the boys ready for bed, leaving Rose downstairs with Lea.

"It's just someone from school." Leanne replied evasively, shrugging.

"Oh?" Rose asked, smirking "I told you you'd make friends, didn't I?"

Leanne shrugged again, still texting away.

"S'ppose so." Leanne replied, not looking up.

Rose waited for the girl to elaborate more, but she didn't, so Rose spoke up again.

"So who're you texting? She in one of your classes, or something?"

"He." Leanne corrected, not noticing Rose raise her eyebrow at that "And yeah, we're in French together."

Her phone beeped to signal another text, and Rose watched the teenager's face carefully. The girl smiled as she read the text, and began to reply to it quickly.

"What's this boy's name, then?" Rose asked, trying to ignore how much she sounded like her own mother.

"Why's it matter?" Leanne asked, brow furrowing as she glanced up at Rose.

"Just wondering." Rose replied hastily, holding her hands up in surrender.

Leanne looked at her sceptically for a few moments before answering.

"Oliver. But he prefers Ollie." Leanne answered, gaze returning to her mobile as it beeped again.

"And you and this Ollie…" Rose trailed off as Leanne looked up sharply.

"We're just friends." Leanne replied, cheeks flushing slightly as she ducked her gaze again.

Rose merely smirked and didn't say anything. Leanne looked up at her again.

"We are!" the girl insisted.

"I didn't say anything!" Rose pointed out, still smirking.

"Whatever. I'm going upstairs." Leanne announced, getting to her feet. She then paused in the doorway, turning back to Rose "And there's _really_ nothing going on between me and Ollie, Mum."

It wasn't until Leanne had bounded up the stairs that Rose finally realised what Leanne had said. She smiled again, but it was softer now, and she found herself wondering whether Leanne had even realised what she'd said.

"You alright?"

Rose looked up to see the Doctor entering the room, frowning slightly in confusion.

"Yeah." Rose replied, smiling softly, eyes closing "Yeah, I'm great."


	69. House Rules

**A/N: Another chapter! This was quite a fun one to write, hope you like it! :)**

Lungbarrow: House Rules

"Sit down and finish your lunch, James. And Noah, no chocolate until half an hour after lunch. Leanne, put your phone away, please."

Rose was truly running out of patience with the three children, and had half a mind to complain to the schools about having their inset days on the same day. The Doctor, of course, was at work as it was Friday, and Rose was stuck at home with the three children. It was raining, and both boys were complaining that they wanted to go out, while Leanne had had to be dragged out of her room for lunch. In fact, she'd been texting her friend Ollie so much that Rose was tempted to throw the phone out the window. She was beginning to wonder if she'd been that bad when she was Leanne's age.

"But Mummy!" Noah moaned, pouting.

"No buts, Noah." Rose told her son, before turning her attention to James, who was eying his food in distaste. "What's wrong, James?"

James pouted at his Mum.

"Don't want it." James muttered.

Rose sighed in annoyance.

"Well if you don't eat it, you're not getting anything else until dinner time." She warned the boy.

James pouted, but nodded, and pushed his plate away from him. Noah watched his older brother carefully, before turning back to his Mum.

"How come James doesn't have to finish his food?" he demanded, pouting again.

Rose sighed again, wishing the two boys would just quit pouting.

"Because he's refusing to eat it. He's not getting anything else until dinner. Now, you can either eat your lunch or stay hungry until it's dinner time." Rose told her son firmly.

Noah thought for a few moments before sliding from his seat, James close behind him. Rose watched as the two boys scampered off to the front room, and she got to her feet, gathering the boys' plates.

"Lea," Rose asked the girl, who was still texting on her phone "have you finished your lunch?"

Lea nodded, eyes still glued to her phone as she got to her feet and left the room, leaving Rose to throw away her half-eaten sandwich.

**~StormWolf10~**

Rose was sat at the dining table, typing away at her laptop when there was a sudden crash and smash from the front room. Swearing under her breath, Rose jumped to her feet and ran for the front room, her Torchwood training kicking in.

"What the hell happened in here?" Rose demanded as she burst through the doorway.

James and Noah were stood in the middle of the room, looking extremely guilty. A football rolled along the floor, and Rose followed its trail, her eyes shutting briefly when she saw the smashed TV now shattered across the floor.

"Sorry, Mummy!" the boys chorused quickly, eyes wide.

"Daddy and I have told you before about not playing football inside, haven't we?" Rose reminded the two boys angrily "Both of you go and sit in your rooms please, and don't leave until I come up to get you."

"What's going on?"

Rose looked round to see Leanne in the doorway, evidently having come down to see what the crash had been. Leanne stifled a laugh when she saw the smashed TV, but quickly schooled her expression when Rose glared at her. The boys quietly filed past her and headed up the stairs.

"Lea, go fetch the dustpan and brush for me, please." Rose told the girl as she picked her way cautiously across the floor, aiming to move the TV out of the way so she could clear the mess up.

"Why?" Leanne asked, frowning suddenly "I didn't cause the mess."

"Just help, Leanne!" Rose snapped with a sigh, beginning to gather the larger chunks of glass in her hands, careful not to cut herself.

With a huff, Leanne left the room, returning a few moments later with the dustpan and brush. She threw it at Rose and stormed out of the room again. Rolling her eyes, Rose began to clear up the mess.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Right," the Doctor announced, watching the kids carefully "I must say I'm a bit disappointed with the three of you. Your Mum's told me what's happened today while I've been at work, and we've agreed that's it's probably best if we lay down some house rules."

The three children were squashed up on the sofa, far from impressed by the impromptu family meeting the Doctor had called upon hearing from Rose that the children had been far from their best behaviour that day.

"Now," the Doctor continued as he sat down on the floor in front of the kids "we're only putting these rules in place so that things don't get broken, and people don't get upset, ok?"

Both boys nodded forlornly while Leanne rolled her eyes, arms folded across her chest.

"Lea," Rose chipped in, sitting on the floor beside the Doctor "we're only making these rules to help you and give us some more family time."

Leanne didn't answer, and the Doctor picked up the piece of paper with their new house rules typed on it.

"Are you three listening?" the Doctor asked, glancing up at the kids as he slipped his glasses on. Both James and Noah nodded, and Leanne grunted noncommittally, so the Doctor began reading the rules out.

"Number one, no footballs in the house;" the Doctor looked at the two boys pointedly, who both looked more than a little guilty at that, ducking their heads "rule number two, no phones at the dining table;"

"What?!" Leanne demanded, glaring at the Doctor and Rose.

"Lea, I had to practically drag you down to lunch today, and you sat there on your phone for the entire time, didn't even look up." Rose pointed out to the girl "I'm happy that you've made friends at your new school, but it was quite rude of you to be on your phone at the dinner table."

Lea ducked her head, looking more than a little guilty.

"Sorry." Lea muttered.

"The next rule is that you can't have any sweets or chocolates until at least half an hour after a meal." The Doctor continued, reading from the sheet of paper "And finally, I'm sure you'll all do this anyway, but always ask before inviting friends round or going out with friends."

"That's it?" Leanne asked after a few moments' pause, her brow furrowing.

"Yes." Rose replied in confusion.

"That wasn't much." James piped up, frowning.

"Nope." The Doctor agreed with a smile "Only four rules. And we're hoping to keep it that way, so don't give us any reason to add more rules."

The three children nodded quickly.

"Daddy," Noah announced suddenly "can I go play now?"

"Yeah. Of course you can." The Doctor told the boy with a small smile.

Within thirty seconds, the children had fled the room.


	70. Girl Talk

**A/N: So, yeah…Boys might wanna skip this chapter… Rose has 'the talk' with Leanne. Couldn't miss this chapter out, felt it was a rather important chapter. Awkward chapter is awkward.. -_-**

Lungbarrow: Girl Talk

"Leanne," Rose announced, knocking on the girl's bedroom door "can I have a chat with you?"

"Yeah, sure." Leanne replied, frowning slightly in confusion.

Rose shut the door behind her, padding over to the bed and sitting on it as Leanne sat up. Leanne watched her carefully, fully aware of the fact that Rose was holding something behind her back.

"Lea," Rose began carefully, blushing ever so slightly "did your Mum ever have a chat to you about, well… About what happens when you get older?"

Leanne frowned in confusion for a few moments, and Rose continued tentatively.

"Did your Mum ever explain about the birds and the bees?"

Suddenly, Leanne's eyes widened, and she flushed, ducking her head.

"Rose, we really don't have to talk about this…" she told her guardian, meeting her eyes for a few moments before her gaze skittered away again.

"Did your Mum talk to you about it?" Rose asked, eyebrow raised.

"Well, no…" Leanne admitted quietly.

"Then we really _do_ have to talk about this." Rose told the girl firmly.

Leanne groaned and flopped back down on her bed. Rose shook the girl's leg, urging her to sit back up.

"Come on, Lea," Rose sighed "the quicker we have this chat, the quicker you can carry on with whatever you were doing."

Leanne sighed and sat back up.

"Go on, then." She muttered "Can we just get on with this?"

**~StormWolf10~**

"This really isn't happening." Leanne muttered, face burning and her eyes closed.

"Leanne, just open your eyes." Rose sighed, urging the girl to look at her "It's a sanitary towel, it's not gonna kill you to look at it."

Leanne opened her eyes, glaring at Rose.

"Now," Rose continued, trying to ignore the heat that was rising in her own cheeks "do you know how to use one."

Still blushing, Leanne shook her head. Rose got to her feet, dropping the sanitary towel onto the bed and retrieving a pair of Leanne's knickers from her bedside drawer. Tossing them at the teenager, Rose sat beside her again on the bed, opening the sanitary towel. Leanne watched, nose scrunched up as Rose showed her how to use the towel.

"Alright?" Rose asked once she'd finished explaining.

Leanne nodded, looking far from pleased about the talk they were having.

"Now, I know you haven't started your… Well, I know you don't need them yet, but when you do, they're in the drawer in the bathroom, ok?" Rose told the girl.

Again, Leanne just nodded. Rose sighed.

"Lea, I know you're finding this awkward. Believe me, I'm finding this awkward too! I wasn't expecting having to have this talk for, well, at least a decade or so." Rose told the girl with a sigh "It's kind of just been sprung on the pair of us, but we need to have this chat."

"S'ppose so." Leanne conceded glumly "Not exactly enjoying it, though."

"From what I remember when my Mum had this chat with me, this chat isn't meant to be enjoyable." Rose told Leanne with a slight smile.

Leanne chuckled, nodding in agreement.

"Anyway," Rose continued suddenly "I think we've covered just about anything. If there's anything else you wanna know, just ask me, yeah?"

"Yeah. 'k." Leanne answered, becoming nervous again.

With a slight smile, Rose stood up and left the room, shutting the door behind her. The boys would be in bed by now, and sure enough, the Doctor was just leaving James' room.

"Everything go ok?" he asked his wife, kissing her on the forehead as they made their way to the stairs.

"Yeah." Rose replied tiredly "But I'm not in a rush to do it again anytime soon."

The Doctor just chuckled.


	71. Quiet Night In

**A/N: The Doctor and Rose have the house to themselves for the night, and they end up talking. Turned out a bit more angsty than I meant it to, but hey-ho..**

Lungbarrow: Quiet Night In

"So," the Doctor asked as he handed Rose a glass of wine "what do we do now?"

Rose shrugged, taking a sip of her wine. They had the house to themselves for once, as James and Noah were sleeping round Jackie and Pete's, and Leanne was having a sleepover with one of her new friends from school.

"We could put a film on?" Rose suggested uncertainly.

The two adults lapsed into silence again; both inwardly cursing themselves as they desperately tried to remember what they used to do before they'd had the kids. Even Smoky looked bored, curled up on the end of the sofa as he surveyed his owners. The Doctor sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"Why is this so difficult?" he asked in annoyance "Our first night without any kids in the house for over a year and we're at a complete loss of what to do!"

Rose chuckled slightly, taking another sip of her wine.

"Maybe it's because the house is too quiet?" she suggested quietly.

"Yeah, but the kids would be in bed by now, anyway." The Doctor countered.

Rose hummed in agreement, thinking hard.

"We're really clueless about what to do without the kids here, aren't we?" Rose asked in amusement.

"What did we do before the kids? I mean, other than watch TV?" the Doctor asked quietly, glancing over at his wife.

"I can't remember." Rose admitted softly, staring across the room at a photo of the two of them and the three kids that Jackie had taken a few weeks back. "We used to talk a lot more."

"Now we only ever seem to talk about the kids." The Doctor agreed, voice quiet.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Know I had to have '_the talk' _with Lea the other week?" Rose piped up suddenly.

"Yeah," the Doctor replied, frowning slightly as he looked over at her.

"Well, she came to speak to me the other day," Rose continued, voice quiet as she met the Doctor's eyes "and she wanted to know why we'd decided to adopt."

"What, why we adopted her and James?" the Doctor asked.

"And Noah too."

"Ah." The Doctor murmured as it sank in. He reached for his wife's hand, squeezing it reassuringly before tugging her in for a hug as tears welled in her eyes "We haven't explained our…_situation_ to James and Leanne yet, have we?"

He felt Rose shake her head against his chest.

"I think we need to have a chat with them about it." Rose agreed "I just don't know how to explain it. I mean, I only just managed to hold it together when we told Noah that I couldn't have kids, and now with Lea and James…"

She trailed off and the Doctor kissed her on the forehead.

"It'll be fine," he assured her softly "if you want, I'll explain it to them while you're at work on Monday."

**~StormWolf10~**

"What did you do to your head?" Rose asked quietly, frowning as she fingered the scratch near the Doctor's right eye.

"Hmm?" he asked, frowning slightly, his eyes glued to the TV.

"I asked what you did to your head." Rose repeated in amusement.

"Oh, one of James' Easter eggs fell on me when I opened the cupboard." The Doctor replied calmly.

"What?" Rose asked, beginning to laugh.

"James' Easter egg fell on me." He repeated, finally looking at his wife.

As the Doctor saw Rose was laughing, a smile spread across his face.

"I don't know what you're laughing at," he groused jokingly "it bloody hurt!"

"Oh, god," Rose murmured as she attempted to stop laughing "our first night alone without any kids in the house for eighteen months and we still end up talking about them!"

"I know! And I almost broke my neck earlier, stepped on one of Noah's toy cars! I swear those kids will be the deaths of us!" the Doctor joked with a grin.

Still laughing slightly, they settled back into a companionable silence, turning their attention back to the film on the TV.

**~StormWolf10~**

"I wouldn't change this for the world, you know." The Doctor announced suddenly as Rose slid into bed beside him.

"I should hope not!" Rose joked with a grin.

"Seriously, Rose. I wouldn't." he told her again, and Rose's eyes softened, suddenly serious.

"I know." She told him quietly, a soft smile on her lips as she cupped his face with her hand.

"And I wouldn't trade the kids for anything either, no matter how annoying and loud they can be at times." The Doctor continued, voice softer now.

"I know." Rose repeated, leaning over to kiss him gently.

"I know this wasn't the way we planned our lives to go," the Doctor told her gently when they broke the kiss "but even so, we have three wonderful, healthy kids who love us, and that's all that matters."

"Yeah." Rose agreed quietly, tears welling in her eyes again.

"They _are_ our kids, Rose. We may not have raised them since they were born, but they're still ours." The Doctor assured his wife gently.


	72. Let The Music Diffuse All The Tension

**A/N: A lovely little Leanne/Doctor chapter for you :) I've been desperate to write this for ages..Beware fluff! Also, it's just occurred to me that Leanne would call the Doctor 'Jonathan', so if you noticed in previous chapters her calling him 'Doctor', please let me know. I don't think she has at any point, but I may have missed one..**

Lungbarrow: Let The Music Diffuse All The Tension

"Where did you get that guitar?"

Leanne looked up to see the Doctor in the doorway of the music room, frowning in confusion.

"Ollie leant it to me. He's been teaching me at school." She replied, returning her attention to the guitar.

The Doctor wandered into the room, shutting the door behind him. Rose had taken the boys to the park, but Leanne had wanted to stay behind, so the Doctor had agreed to stay with her.

"Do his parents know he leant you an electric guitar?" the Doctor asked in concern.

Leanne thought hard for a few moments before shrugging meekly.

"I'm not sure. He got a new one for his birthday, so he said I could borrow this one." She answered quietly.

The Doctor sat on the barstool beside the one Leanne was sat on, watching her as she struggled with the fingering.

"You know," the Doctor told the girl conversationally "you're the first person to use this as an actual music room. Rose and I just stuck a load of storage boxes in here."

"I noticed." Leanne answered dryly, nodded at the stack of boxes in the far corner.

The Doctor grinned, watching as Leanne concentrated hard.

"Would you like to play the guitar?" he asked after a few moments, voice soft.

Leanne nodded.

"Yeah, I suppose." She replied, not looking up.

"I could teach you if you like." The Doctor offered quietly.

Leanne looked up, brow furrowing slightly.

"I didn't know you could play." Leanne replied, looking at her adopted father carefully.

"Well," the Doctor shrugged "I can do a lot of things you don't know about. So, would you like me to teach you?"

Leanne paused for a few moments before nodding.

"What chords do you know?" he asked, watching her.

"I know a couple." Leanne replied "But not much."

"Go on, then," the Doctor encouraged gently "show me what you already know and then we can go from there."

Nodding, Leanne carefully began making her way through the chords Ollie had already taught her. She looked up at the Doctor a few times to check she was doing it right, and smiling reassuringly, the Doctor moved to help her adjust her fingers slightly. Leanne smiled awkwardly at him in thanks, and she continued to make her way through the chords.

"Let the music diffuse all the tension." The Doctor murmured with a smile.

"Sorry?" Leanne asked, frowning slightly in confusion.

"Sorry, it was something an American rapper said. Nas. Not a fan of him myself, but I couldn't help thinking it was somewhat apt in our situation." The Doctor told the girl, shrugging.

Leanne nodded, smiling slightly, and it suddenly dawned on her that this was the first time she and the Doctor had been alone since they'd met.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Jonathan," Leanne piped up suddenly, surprising the Doctor- the girl refused to call him 'Doctor', stating that it wasn't 'a proper name'- "when did you learn to play the guitar?"

"Oh, a long, long time ago," the Doctor replied evasively, smiling softly.

He'd commandeered the guitar almost ten minutes ago, and was making his way through various songs that he knew Leanne liked.

"I used to play the recorder, you know." The Doctor continued, chuckling as Leanne scrunched her nose up.

"Why would you wanna play that?" Leanne asked, perplexed.

"Hey, don't knock the recorder!" the Doctor countered, chuckling.

Leanne grinned, watching the Doctor happily.

"If you want," the Doctor continued suddenly "if you still want to play the guitar come December, we might look into buying you one of your own for Christmas, yeah?"

"Yeah?" Leanne asked eagerly.

"I'll have to check with Rose, of course," the Doctor reminded the teenager "but I doubt it'll be a problem."

He grinned at Leanne and handed the guitar back to her.

"Now," he continued "do you think you can remember those chords I showed you?"

Leanne nodded, although didn't look too confident as she took the guitar back. Taking the hint, she began somewhat hesitantly running through all the chords the Doctor had shown her in the hour or so they'd been in the music room together.

"That's it," the Doctor murmured, smiling gently at the girl "you're pretty good at this."

Leanne flashed him a grin before returning her gaze to the guitar, watching her fingers as she went through the chords.

"Jonathan, could…Could we…Never mind."

"What?" the Doctor prompted the girl gently, watching her carefully.

"Well, I was just wondering…Could we make this a regular thing? You teaching me guitar, I mean?" Leanne asked hesitantly.

The Doctor watched in amusement as Leanne blushed and ducked her head.

"Of course we can." He assured the girl calmly, causing her to look up in shock "I'd love it."


	73. Bullies

**A/N: Another rather Leanne-centric chapter, but I'm afraid it has to be done to fit into the plot arc I've created for her. I'm so, so sorry… : **

Lungbarrow: Bullies

Leanne stumbled as someone barged into her shoulder. Cursing under her breath, she looked over her shoulder to see a group of girls, all of whom she knew to be in her tutor, walking away, sniggering to each other. With a sigh, Leanne continued along the corridor to her next lesson. She was getting used to that sort of thing now; it was May, and she'd been at the school for almost three months. She'd been subjected to that sort of treatment for the past two of those almost-three months, and Leanne knew it wouldn't stop anytime soon. Leanne had already figured out why she was being picked on; she was different from the rest of the students who attended Edmonton Academy. They were from rich, wealthy families, had been born into the lifestyle and grown up with it. Leanne, on the other hand, had lost her father at a young age, lost her mother several years later, and had- according to the snide comments her peers had made- 'just happened to fall on her feet' when she and her younger brother had been adopted by the Vitex Heiress and her husband. Leanne knew that at least fifty percent of the bullying was occurring because many of the pupils felt she had no right to be in this school, but she also knew that several of them- mostly girls- were jealous of the fact she'd been adopted by Rose Tyler and Jonathan Lungbarrow. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she hurried to her last lesson of the day.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Hey,"

Leanne looked up in shock at the sound of the voice, a smile spreading across her face as she saw the person walking beside her.

"Hi, Ollie." She replied, grinning.

Ollie grinned back, and they continued walking in silence for another few moments before the boy spoke.

"Are you walking home or getting picked up?"

"Walking home." Leanne replied as they headed for the school gates "You?"

"Walking home." Ollie confirmed.

As they neared the gates, Leanne and Ollie heard footsteps behind them, dismissing it as other students heading home. However, when Leanne suddenly stumbled after being barged into for the third time that day, Ollie quickly reached out to support her.

"What are you playing at?" he asked, drawing up to his full height- which wasn't much taller than Leanne- and glaring at the boys who had tried to knock Lea over.

One of the boys, however, just smirked at Ollie before turning and walking off, his friends close behind. Leanne watched bitterly as the group of boys met up with the girls from her tutor that had tried to knock her over earlier. It took her a few moments to realise Ollie was still holding her arm, and he was watching her with concern.

"Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

Leanne nodded and forced a grim smile.

"Yeah. Nothing broken. Besides, I'm used to it now." She replied calmly.

"You know," Ollie announced as they continued walking "you really should tell a teacher about this bullying. It's been going on for weeks now."

Leanne sighed, looking over at her friend.

"And make them hate me even more? No thanks. I'd rather just gonna keep my head down and get on with it, thanks." Leanne replied.

"What, for the next three years?" Ollie asked incredulously.

"If that's what it takes, then yes."

"Lea, just tell a teacher, or your parents, or something!" Ollie knew he was close to begging now, but he'd become close to Leanne in her few weeks at Edmonton Academy, and she had quickly fitted in with he and his friends Naomi and Christian. Ollie even knew for a fact that she and Naomi had had a sleepover a week or two ago.

"Please can we just drop it, Ollie?" Leanne asked as she stopped walking, turning to look at her friend.

They were outside of the school now, and other students milled around them as they blocked the pavement. Ollie sighed, watching his friend carefully for a few moments. He ran a hand through his ginger hair as he weighed up the consequences of not urging Leanne to tell someone about the bullying.

"Ok," he replied eventually, regretful "but if it gets any worse, you're telling a teacher."

Leanne nodded, defeated.

"And I mean it, Lea," Ollie added, their eyes locking "if it gets worse and you don't tell someone, then I'll do it for you."

**~StormWolf10~**

"I'll see you tomorrow then, yeah?" Ollie asked when they stopped outside the gates of Lea's house.

"Yeah," she replied, smiling at him as she pushed the gate open and slipped inside.

With a final wave, Ollie continued along to his own house and was finally out of sight. Leanne started up the gravel driveway, pulling her key out of her pocket. However, just as she went to put her key in the lock, the door opened, revealing Rose.

"Saw you coming up the drive," Rose told the girl with a grin when she noted Lea's surprised expression.

Leanne nodded and stepped inside, already hurrying to dump her school bag in the cupboard.

"So," Rose continued "I'm guessing that boy you were with was Ollie, yeah?"

Leanne looked round in confusion, frowning.

"Huh?" she asked in confusion.

"The boy. The one you were talking to outside the gate." Rose prompted.

"Were you spying on me?" Leanne asked quickly, accusing.

Rose rolled her eyes.

"I looked out the window to see if you were coming, and I saw you and him chatting." Rose replied calmly.

Leanne still looked unsure, but she nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah, it was Ollie." Leanne confirmed after a few moments.

Rose grinned.

"How come you haven't invited him round before? You could invite him for tea one night, if you like. Or have him round one Saturday. I'm sure the boys wouldn't mind us taking them out for the day." Rose suggested, watching the girl carefully to gauge her reaction.

Leanne shrugged, feigning unconcern.

"Yeah, I'll text him or something later." Leanne replied, her voice too calm and detached to be genuine.

Rose just nodded, smirking as she headed back into the front room where James and Noah were playing. However, just as Leanne began heading upstairs, Rose turned around, speaking again.

"Oh, and Lea," Rose piped up, serious now "don't forget what I told you a few weeks ago; if there's anything else you wanna know, just ask me."

Leanne blushed and hurried up the stairs to her room.


	74. Holiday

**A/N: Tony's back! I'm hoping to begin putting him back in more chapters, but as he lives with Jackie and Pete, he's not featured as much anymore as the story is centred around the Doctor, Rose and the three kids. Also, icky girl-stuff happens again in this chapter... Apologies to any boys, but it's necessary for the character.**

Lungbarrow: Holiday

Leanne sighed, curling up as best she could in the back of the car. She noticed the Doctor glance worriedly at her in the rear view mirror, and she smiled weakly at him. The Doctor smiled back and continued driving. They were on their way to Pete and Jackie's holiday home in the Lake District for a two week holiday while the kids were on their summer holidays. At least Leanne didn't have to worry about being crammed in the back of the car with her two younger brothers; they had insisted on going in Jackie's and Pete's car with Tony, and were no doubt driving the two adults mad.

"You ok back there, Lea?" Rose asked the girl suddenly, twisting in her seat to look at the surprisingly quiet teenager.

Forcing another weak smile, Leanne nodded.

"You're being awfully quiet back there." The Doctor told his adopted daughter, his voice tinged with concern.

"Don't feel too great." Leanne replied quietly as she wrapped her hands around her stomach.

Rose glanced round at the girl again, and as their eyes met, she sighed.

"Do you need us to stop at the next service station or do you think you'll be ok to make it to the house?" she asked the girl calmly, watching as Leanne blushed.

"Think I'll be fine." The girl answered awkwardly, really not wanting to talk about her…_problem_ while the Doctor was there.

Rose nodded, turning back round to sit properly in her seat again.

"We'll sort you out some paracetamol once we get there."

**~StormWolf10~**

Jackie almost sighed in relief as they pulled up to the cottage. It looked the same as it always did, nestled in the clearing, but Jackie had never been so relieved to see it. James, Tony and Noah were yelling and bouncing up and down in the back of the car. They'd been doing that for the past twenty miles, and wouldn't stop, despite Jackie and Pete telling them to stop on numerous occasions. Jackie loved both her children, and her three grandchildren dearly, but there was a very small part of her that very much wanted to shake the three children in the back of the car, just to get them to sit still. It had been a long drive, and when the car finally halted, Jackie was quickly out of the car. The three children were spilling out of the car just as the Doctor and Rose pulled up with Leanne, who, frankly, was looking a little worse for wear.

"I hope you two behaved yourselves on the way here." The Doctor told his two sons when the boys barrelled into him.

Both boys nodded, and the Doctor looked to his parents-in-law to confirm. However, Pete and Jackie had already busied themselves with unloading the suitcases, so the Doctor let it slide for now.

"Come on!" Tony yelled suddenly, grabbing Noah and James as he ran towards the house "I'll show you our room!"

The Doctor watched in amusement as Pete hurried over to unlock the door so Tony could take James and Noah up to the room the three of them would be sharing. The cottage only had four bedrooms, one for Pete and Jackie, one for the Doctor and Rose, one for the three boys and one for Lea as she couldn't be expected to share with the boys. Suddenly remembering Leanne, the Doctor turned round to see the girl leant against the side of the car, watching Rose as she pulled the suitcases out of the boot. The Doctor quickly hurried over to help his wife with the suitcases.

"How about you take Lea in and show her her room, get her settled and stuff, yeah?" the Doctor suggested quietly, fully aware that Jackie was watching them carefully.

Rose nodded and led the thirteen year old inside.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Me first, me first!" Tony exclaimed eagerly, already clambering onto the precarious tyre swing before Pete had even had a chance to tighten the final knot.

"Not yet, Tony! You'll get yourself hurt!" Pete yelled, as Tony began swinging the swing.

Wide-eyed, Tony quickly scrambled back off the swing. Pete sighed and finished tying the swing before grabbing Tony round the waist, putting him back on the swing.

"There you go, Private. It's all safe now." Pete told his son, ruffling his hair.

Tony looked at his Dad warily for a few moments before grinning.

"Push me!" he demanded excitedly.

As Pete began pushing the makeshift tyre swing, James and Noah stepped back. They were a little way into the woods, and Jackie, the Doctor and Rose were still back at the holiday cottage, and Rose had tucked Leanne up on the sofa with a hot water bottle to ease her stomach cramps. Soon, however, Tony was yelling at Pete to let him off. Pete quickly stopped the swing, frowning in confusion when his son hopped off, seemingly fine. However, he couldn't help but grin when Tony pushed James and Noah towards the swing, declaring "Your turn now!" Eagerly, the two boys clambered onto the swing and Pete began pushing it again.

**~StormWolf10~**

"You feeling any better, Lea?" Rose asked her adopted daughter sympathetically.

Leanne shrugged, looking rather depressed.

"Bit better. Don't really want to move, though." The girl admitted quietly.

Rose sat down beside Leanne, tugging her in for a hug.

"Well, you don't have to. Not until dinner, anyway." Rose assured the girl.

Leanne sighed, curling up some more.

"It's just my luck that _this_ happens to me the week we decide to go on holiday." Leanne muttered bitterly.

"Come on, Lea, you knew you were gonna get your period sooner or later." Rose pointed out to the girl quietly.

"But you never said it would hurt this bad!" Leanne moaned bitterly.

Rose smiled slightly, toying with Leanne's blonde hair. Just then, Jackie entered the room with three mugs on a tray, and Leanne pulled away from Rose to sit more upright.

"The Doctor's headed into the woods to find the boys. Said he'd promised to build a den with the boys." Jackie announced to her daughter as she handed her a mug of tea before turning her attention to Lea "Here you are, love. This will help."

She then handed Leanne a mug of warm squash, which the girl took gratefully.

"Still feeling pretty rough?" Jackie asked the girl as Lea sipped at her drink.

Leanne nodded.

"Feel like crap." She responded, before freezing, evidently expecting Rose to berate her.

Rose, however, merely rubbed her back in understanding. Suddenly keen to change the subject, Leanne looked over at Jackie.

"When are the boys gonna be back?"

"Probably in a few hours. Don't worry, sweetheart, you still have a while before they're back." Jackie replied gently, smiling at the girl.

Leanne nodded and sank back into the sofa.

**~StormWolf10~**

Pete grinned as he watched Tony, James and Noah run about yelling and waving sticks around as swords. The Doctor had joined them a few hours before, and had- as he'd promised Noah and James- built a den with them out of fallen branches. The den had quickly become a fort, which was how come the three boys were now chasing the Doctor around and brandishing sticks. Pete had sat himself on a fallen tree trunk to watch the game, but Tony suddenly hurried over, tugging his Dad to his feet.

"Come on, Dad, come on!" he exclaimed, face slightly flushed from running about so much.

Pete was about to protest, but stopped himself when he saw how excited Tony was. Pushing himself to his feet, he set off at a run towards his two grandsons, grabbing James around the waist and hauling him into the air. James immediately laughed, squirming in Pete's grip.

"Help me, Noah!" he yelled at his brother, laughing as Pete began tickling him.

Noah laughed, throwing himself at his Granddad's legs as Tony joined in too. However, Pete remained holding the boy, and James quickly caught sight of the Doctor.

"Dad, help me!" James yelled between his giggles.

The Doctor grinned, but instead of helping, he began to tickle James too, causing the seven year old to squirm even more. Hearing James call him 'Dad' hadn't shocked the Doctor at all, as the boy had been doing it more and more recently. Of course, most of the time, he didn't call the Doctor and Rose Dad and Mum, but it was getting more frequent, and they were beginning to wonder if the boy would make it permanent. Still, they didn't want to push him, and wanted him to make his own mind up about it. Eventually, Pete let the boy slide to the ground, and James immediately scampered off into the stick fort, followed by Tony and Noah. Glancing at his watch, Pete noticed the time.

"Come on, you three, we'd better get back to the cottage." He announced.

The statement was immediately met with moans and groans, and the Doctor and Pete shared a look.

"Now come on, we can come back tomorrow." The Doctor told the boys, taking Noah's hand as they came back out of the fort.

"Will Mummy and Lea come with us tomorrow?" Noah asked, looking up at his Dad.

"Maybe." The Doctor replied, watching the boy's eyes light up.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Can't believe you've made me come somewhere with no phone signal." Leanne muttered.

"Lea," the Doctor sighed, looking at the girl purposefully "you don't need your phone on holiday. And you know the rules; no mobiles at the dining table."

Leanne sighed, glaring at him as she slipped the phone back into her pocket. She then picked up her fork and continued stabbing at her dinner. James and Noah were sat beside her, wolfing down their food, as was Tony who was sat opposite; their several hours running about the woods had evidently meant they'd worked up an appetite. However, it also meant that it had worn them out, and it wasn't long until Noah was falling asleep at the table, Tony and James close behind. Eventually, the Doctor, Rose and Jackie urged the boys to their feet, steering them upstairs. While Rose and the Doctor dealt with James and Noah respectively, Jackie saw Tony to bed, and soon all three boys were tucked up asleep.


	75. Grocery Shopping

**A/N: New chapter :) In which the Doctor goes shopping in some unusual attire. XD**

Lungbarrow: Grocery Shopping

The Doctor gripped the trolley tight, glancing down to see Noah and James right beside him, both grinning. Flashing the two boys a grin, he led them into the supermarket. The Doctor couldn't work out if Rose would be annoyed or amused when she came home from work, but right now the Doctor was more worried about avoiding the Paparazzi; with Rose being the Vitex Heiress, they were particularly fond of their family, but had- as of yet- not been able to get many photos of the kids, and the Doctor and Rose wanted to keep it that way. Of course, he probably shouldn't be attracting attention to himself if he was that intent on avoiding them, but it had been the only way he could get the boys out of the house; they had been halfway through a game of superheroes, and the Doctor had been under strict instructions from Rose to do the grocery shopping while she was at work. The boys were on inset day, but Leanne was already back at school, her first day back after the summer holidays. As the Doctor led the two boys- including a very proud just-turned-five Noah who was wearing the new pair of converses he'd gotten for his birthday- down the first aisle, he glanced down at the shopping list. It shouldn't be too hard, the Doctor decided, after all it was only basic food supplies and some stuff for the kids' packed lunches. Already, the Doctor could hear people whispering, that 'isn't that Rose Tyler's husband and kids?' and 'Yes that is Jonathan Lungbarrow wearing a cape'. He fought the urge to point out to these gossiping customers that he was only wearing a superhero cape because it was the only way he could get the five and seven year old boys to come shopping with him. He knew he looked daft, but he also knew he'd worn a lot worse, and Noah and James seemed happy. They were happily wandering along beside him in their own bright red superhero capes.

"Right," the Doctor announced "first of all, we need butter, cheese and ham, which one of you can find it first?"

The Doctor had barely gotten the words out of his mouth before the boys were scampering off to collect the food, eager to find it first. The two boys soon returned, James clutching the items to him with a wide grin on his face while Noah pouted. The food was quickly placed in the trolley and they moved on to the next aisle.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Daddy, can I have some sweets?"

The Doctor sighed, looking down at James, who looked back at him with wide green eyes. The Doctor silently cursed, knowing that the boy had found that- since he'd begun calling the Doctor and Rose 'Dad' and 'Mum' regularly a week or so ago- they'd found it hard to say no to the little boy.

"Just a small packet," the Doctor conceded after a minute or so "otherwise you'll spoil your dinner."

James grinned, nodding and running back over to the sweets, Noah following. It wasn't long before the children were returning with a packet of sweets each. As the Doctor attempted to begin steering the two boys towards the checkouts, gathering a few more things along the way, he soon realised why Rose preferred _not_ to take the children with her when she went shopping.

"Daddy, can we get some crisps?" Noah piped up suddenly, looking at his Dad expectantly.

"We've already got some, Noah." The Doctor answered calmly, ushering the two boys towards the checkouts.

"But I don't want them ones." Noah protested, glaring at the multi-pack of crisps in the trolley, as if it had done something to particularly offend him.

"Well, that's what your Mum wrote on the shopping list, so I'm afraid you'll have to complain to her later." The Doctor told the boy, joining the end of a queue to pay for the shopping.

"But Daddy!" Noah whined, pouting up at his father.

"No, Noah. You've got some sweets, you're not getting anything else." The Doctor answered firmly.

**~StormWolf10~**

Soon, the Doctor was packing the shopping into plastic bags while James and Noah hovered nearby. Noah was still pouting, and James was waiting impatiently for his sweets, so both boys seemed oblivious to the little glances being shot their way as people realised that they were Rose Tyler's and Jonathan Lungbarrow's adopted children, and that Jonathan Lungbarrow was grocery shopping while wearing a cape. The Doctor, of course, noticed, but couldn't be bothered to reply to the tens of people staring at them as they made their way back out the store and back to the car. The Doctor was fully aware of the fact he was still wearing a bright red superhero cape, but really couldn't bring himself to care as he loaded the shopping into the boot and fished the boys' sweets out for them. He considered slinging the cape into the boot of the car so he could drive home without wearing it and drawing attention to himself, but as he glanced at James and Noah- who had both brightened up now they had their sweets, and were happily chatting in the backseat- the Doctor decided he could cope with a few strange stares if it meant his kids were happy.


	76. James Lungbarrow's Eighth Birthday

**A/N: Read and Review! May rewrite the end of the chapter…**

Lungbarrow: James Lungbarrow's Eighth Birthday

It was Monday October 9th, and James Lungbarrow was up early, much to the Doctor's and Rose's amusement. They usually had to drag the boy from bed, and getting him and Noah ready for school in the mornings was a nightmare. Today, however, was different, as today was James' eighth birthday. The boy was up, awake and dressed at little past half past six. The boy had looked a little put-out at being told he could only open one present, and even then he had to wait until Leanne and Noah were awake.

"You can have the rest of the presents when you get home from school," Rose told the boy gently, smoothing the boy's hair down.

James pouted, looking up at Rose.

"But Mum!"

"I know, love, and I'm sorry, but I've got to get to work soon, and I want to see you open your presents." Rose explained calmly.

Still looking a little put-out, James nodded, sighing.

**~StormWolf10~**

Rose had managed to get off work early that evening, but even then she arrived home to find James sat on the stairs, waiting impatiently for her.

"Mum! You're back!" James announced upon seeing her, a wide grin on his face.

"Have you had a good day, James?" Rose asked, smiling at her son as she hung up her coat and bag.

The boy nodded eagerly, tugging Rose towards the sitting room. Leanne was, as usual, texting on her phone while Noah was sat on the Doctor's lap looking through a storybook. The Doctor did, however, look up when they entered the morning.

"Good day at work?" he asked as Rose sat on the arm of the sofa.

She shrugged, watching James as he hurried across the room and began attacking the pile of birthday presents in the corner. The Doctor quickly moved Noah from his lap to sit on the floor with James as he began opening his birthday presents.

"Who's that one from, James?" the Doctor asked as the boy began tearing into the wrapping paper.

"Umm, Leanne." James replied, pausing momentarily to read the gift tag before resuming ripping the paper open.

The boy's face lit up when he saw what Leanne had bought him, and she looked up from her phone to flash her younger brother a grin before resuming her texting.

"Just keep it away from my room, yeah?" she told him calmly.

"Why, what is it?" Rose asked curiously while the Doctor chuckled.

James grinned and held the metal tin up so Rose could read it. _Fifty Pranks to Freak Your Friends. _Rose rolled her eyes but smiled at the boy.

"I'd better not start finding plastic spiders in the kitchen cupboards!" Rose warned the little boy with a smile.

**~StormWolf10~**

Rose winced as James let out a yell and came barrelling through the kitchen with his brand new wooden sword in his hand. Moments later, Noah came running through, also yelling, and Rose very almost dropped a dinner plate on the boy's head. With a sigh, she glanced at the clock.

"You two need to start getting ready for bed now, please." Rose called over to the two boys, who were now sword fighting in the kitchen doorway.

Both boys immediately stopped and stared at their Mum, wide-eyed, and Rose knew immediately that they were about to start begging.

"But-" Noah began, brow furrowing.

"Now come on you two," Rose told them, putting the plate down on the kitchen worktop and making her way over to the boys "else you'll be really tired tomorrow, and you've both got school."

Both boys pouted, preparing to beg again.

"Come on boys," the Doctor announced suddenly, coming up behind them and shocking the little boys "you heard your Mum."

The Doctor began guiding the boys towards the stairs, and Rose grabbed a bin bag, heading into the front room to clean up the mound of wrapping paper, avoiding scattered toys along the way.


	77. Embarrassing Little Brothers

**A/N: I'm back! This chapter was a lot of fun to write, and is starting to set the path for the storylines I have planned in the future.. Beware, though, it's gonna be a rollercoaster..**

Lungbarrow: Embarrassing Little Brothers

"Why don't you invite Oliver round for dinner on Friday?" Rose suggested suddenly, startling Leanne.

"Why?" the teenager asked suspiciously.

Rose shrugged, continuing to flick through the newspaper.

"Just thought you'd like him to come round. Besides, we haven't actually _met_ him yet." Rose replied.

Leanne frowned slightly, and the pair descended into silence. After a minute or so, Leanne finally spoke again.

"I'll ask him."

**~StormWolf10~**

"Just… Avoid my brothers, yeah?" Leanne told Ollie as she pulled her key out of her pocket.

"Why?" Ollie asked in confusion, frowning.

"Because they'll talk your ear off. I swear they never shut up. James was bad enough before, but now with Noah…"

Leanne trailed off as she managed to unlock the front door, and she led Ollie inside.

"We're home," Leanne called out as she headed over to dump her school bag in the cupboard.

She took Ollie's rucksack too, putting it in the cupboard for him. Just then, Noah and James came charging down the stairs, yelling as they barrelled into their big sister.

"Hey come on, you two, give your sister some space," Rose told the two boys as she hurried down the stairs after them.

The two boys reluctantly drew away from Leanne and, with a slightly confused glance at Ollie, hurried into the sitting room.

"So," Rose announced as she reached the two teenagers "you must be Oliver?"

"Yes," Ollie replied, standing up straight "I'm Oliver Thomas. Most people call me Ollie, though."

Rose smiled at the boy.

"Good to meet you at last." Rose told the boy genuinely "I'm pleased Leanne's made some friends. Now, if you don't mind me, I'd better go keep an eye on the boys."

Rose began heading towards the sitting room, but stopped suddenly, turning around again.

"Oh, and Ollie? Is fish fingers and chips alright for tea?"

Ollie nodded, and Rose smiled, heading into the sitting room. Almost immediately, Ollie seemed to relax again, letting out a relieved sigh.

"What's up?" Leanne asked him, frowning slightly.

"I… I dunno, I was expecting a bit more, I dunno, _questioning_. Thought your parents would get all suspicious with a teenage boy and a teenage girl being friends." He admitted with a shrug.

"Why?" Leanne asked, beginning to lead Ollie upstairs.

"I dunno," Ollie replied "guess I was just worrying too much."

**~StormWolf10~**

"Lea, Ollie, dinner's ready." Rose called up the stairs.

She heard Leanne's bedroom door open and close, and the two teenagers were suddenly making their way down the stairs. Satisfied they were coming, Rose headed back into the dining room, where both James and Noah were already tucking into their dinner. As Ollie and Leanne slid into their chairs, Rose sat down at the table with a cup of tea.

"What've you two been up to, then? You've been awfully quiet up there." Rose told the two teenagers, watching them over the rim of her mug.

"Ollie was teaching me some more stuff on the guitar." Leanne explained as she began tucking into her dinner.

Rose just nodded, watching as the four children began to eat. They were silent for several minutes, before Noah suddenly piped up.

"You're Ollie, right?"

Ollie nodded at the little boy, slightly confused.

"Leanne fancies you." Noah continued, stabbing at his chips with his fork.

"Noah!" Leanne groaned, sinking down in her seat, almost slipping under the table altogether.

"What? It's true!" Noah protested, frowning at his older sister.

"Yeah, you're always texting him!" James chipped in "An' if you're not texting him, you're talking about him."

By now, Leanne was halfway under the table, blushing. Rose was merely watching the exchange over her mug, one eyebrow raised while Ollie also blushed, rivalling his ginger hair.

"Just shut up!" Leanne hissed at her brothers, leaning across the table towards them.

"It's true though, isn't it?" James continued, oblivious to his sister's embarrassment "'Cause whenever you talk about Ollie, you get that look on your face!"

"No I don't!" Leanne protested, before her brow furrowed and she asked "What look?"

"The same look Mummy has when she and Daddy are alone in the evening and they think we're in bed. An' Mummy and Daddy love each other, so you must love Ollie!" Noah announced calmly, with all the reasoning of a five year old.

Finally, it was Rose's turn to blush, and she quickly waded into the discussion before the two young boys embarrassed anyone further.

"God, why did I have to end up with two embarrassing little brothers?!" Leanne muttered, hiding her face in her hands.

"That's enough you two; just finish your dinner please." Rose told the boys as Leanne- if possible- sank even lower in her chair.

Both boys pouted, but returned to their dinner. Ollie was still slightly red with embarrassment, and was paying far too much attention to his fish fingers, while Leanne was refusing to meet anyone's eyes. They sat in silence for several minutes as they continued eating their dinner, but the silence was perforated by a beeping. Leanne dug her phone out of her pocket, not missing the glare Rose gave her. Knowing she was going to be in a lot of trouble later for breaking one of the house rules, Leanne opened the text. As she read it, her breath hitched slightly, and Leanne risked a glance up to see that both Rose and Ollie were watching her in concern.

"You ok?" Ollie asked her quietly, trying to see the text.

Leanne nodded and forced a smile, quickly deleting the text before anyone else saw it. Rose watched the girl carefully, noting how she'd suddenly become really pale, and she knew she had to get that phone off her to look at the text.

"Sit up and finish your dinner, please, Lea." Rose told the girl quietly.

Leanne, however, merely responded by pushing her plate away.

"'m not hungry."


	78. Confrontation

**A/N: We meet Leanne's other two friends in this chapter, and it is revealed just what is going on with Leanne…**

Lungbarrow: Confrontation

Leanne tugged her coat a little tighter around herself in an attempt to stave off the bitter chill of the January air. She hurried through the school grounds, eager to reach the warm library, where Ollie, Christian and Naomi would be waiting for her.

"Oi, Lungbarrow!"

Leanne looked up, sighing at the voice. She knew exactly who it was. Josie Hewitt-Loughborough and her friends. The group of girls were in Leanne's tutor group, and enjoyed deliberately bumping into her in the corridors, or sticking chewing gum on her chair in class so she'd sit in it, or shoving used toilet paper into her bag. Leanne always tried to shake it off, though, knowing they were just jealous that she'd been adopted by Rose Tyler the Vitex heiress, and her husband Jonathan Lungbarrow. The girls felt Leanne didn't deserve to be at Edmonton Academy, because she was adopted. They also felt that she didn't deserve to have Jonathan and Rose Lungbarrow as her parents.

"Oi, Lungbarrow, we're talking to you!"

With another sigh, Leanne reluctantly turned around. Sure enough, Josie Hewitt-Loughborough was stood there with five or six of her friends.

"What do you want, Josie?" Leanne asked, thoroughly miserable.

"Oh, now, that's no way to speak to your superiors, Lungbarrow." Josie berated her with a smirk, stepping closer to her "I'd expect you to be a little more polite than that, seeing as Rose Tyler's your Mum."

There was a pause as the two girls glared defiantly at each other, before Josie smirked, an evil glint in her eye.

"Oh, wait; she's not your _real_ Mum, is she? She just felt sorry for you and your brat of a brother and took the pair of you in." Josie continued, looking down her nose at Leanne.

This was followed by giggles from Josie's friends, and Leanne felt hot tears stinging at her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Josie then looked the other girl over.

"I see you've been paying no attention to my texts." Josie announced, eyebrow raised "Shame. You could do with losing some weight. Well, I say _some_…"

As the other girls began sniggering again, Leanne stepped forward, glaring.

"How _did_ you get my mobile number?" Leanne asked angrily.

Josie just shrugged.

"I've been through your bag once or twice. Didn't you wonder where your packed lunch kept going?" the girl asked, that irritating smirk back on her face "Sweet, really. Love how Rose puts those little packets of chocolate-covered biscuits in your lunch for you."

"She gets them for my brothers." Leanne replied quickly, still glaring "She just happens to put them in my lunch too."

"Yeah, sure." Josie replied, her tone evidently disbelieving "Anyway, you should be thanking me. We don't want you getting any _fatter_, after all."

"Hey!"

Suddenly, Ollie was beside Leanne, arm going round her shoulders as he tugged her close to him. Christian was just behind him, with Naomi bringing up the rear, and the two boys looked about ready for a fight. Josie and her friends, however, looked unimpressed.

"Oh, so if it isn't Oliver Thomas." Josie chuckled darkly "What're you gonna do to us, Ginger Ninja? You can't hit us, we're girls!"

Ollie looked momentarily stumped, and Christian quickly forced his way forward. Christian was roughly the same height as Ollie, at about 5' 6", and he had somewhat messy, dirty blonde hair.

"Why don't you just lay off Lea, yeah?" Christian told them angrily "Just because you're jealous!"

"Jealous?" Josie repeated, laughing "Why would I be jealous of _her_? Unlike Leanne, I can actually lose weight."

Then, with a final laugh, the group of girls pushed past them and walked off.

**~StormWolf10~**

"You need to tell someone about this, Lea." Naomi told her friend gently.

"Why? It'll only make their teasing worse!" Leanne protested.

Naomi sighed, tugging at the end of her dark brown ponytail, twisting it round her fingers. The group were now settled in the library, trying to keep their voices down so they wouldn't be thrown out by the irate librarian.

"Well you can't carry on like this. It's been going on for almost a year now." Naomi pointed out with a sigh.

"And," Ollie chipped in "I did say that if it gets worse I want you to tell a teacher. Else I'm telling them for you."

Leanne glared at her friend while Naomi and Christian nodded fiercely in agreement.

"Look, I can deal with it, ok?" Leanne insisted after a moment.

"No you can't." Christian interrupted "Don't think we haven't noticed. You haven't eaten lunch in months. You signed up to those stupid break time gym sessions on a Wednesday, and you've been losing weight. It's because of Josie Hewitt-Loughborough and her friends, isn't it?"

Leanne didn't respond, instead deciding to intently study the nearby shelf of books.

"Do you eat breakfast?" Naomi asked suddenly, on her phone.

Leanne shook her head.

"Well, no, but what does that have to do with anythi-" Leanne protested, only to be cut off by Naomi.

"And do you eat dinner?"

"Well, yeah, I have to. I eat at the same time as the boys." Leanne answered.

"But do you eat it all?" Christian urged worriedly.

Leanne merely blushed and ducked her head.

"I hate to tell you this," Naomi continued, biting her lip "but I think you're anorexic."

Leanne scoffed at that, looking at her friends' worried faces in a mixture of disbelief and confusion.

"Why would you think that? I'm fine!" Leanne told them with a slight smile "Besides, it's healthy to lose a bit of weight."

"Leanne, you _don't_ _need_ to lose weight." Ollie piped up suddenly, causing Leanne to look round "You're perfectly fine as you are."

"I'm not though, am I?" Leanne replied quietly, frowning slightly "Else they wouldn't be picking on me."

"Lea, they're only picking on you because they're jealous. You don't need to lose weight." Naomi told the girl again, exasperated.

Leanne, however, looked unconvinced. Ollie suddenly got to his feet, Christian followed.

"Come on," Ollie announced, holding his hand out to Leanne.

"Where're we going?" Leanne asked in confusion as she allowed Ollie to pull her to her feet.

"To see Mr Albertson." Ollie answered calmly.

"What?!" Leanne asked incredulously, wide-eyed.

Mr Albertson was Edmonton Academy's Headmaster, and Leanne really didn't want to get him involved.

"Come on, Lea, we have to!" Naomi told her friend as Christian pulled her to her feet.

Dejected, Leanne suddenly found herself being steered from the library by her friends.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Hughes, Thomas, what the hell are you playing at?!"

The group of four friends stopped, looking up to see a handful of boys making their way towards them. Christian and Ollie both sighed.

"Carter Bronsen." The boys muttered in unison.

Carter Bronsen was Josie Hewitt-Loughborough's so-called boyfriend, a big broad lad who played on Edmonton Academy's rugby team. And he wasn't alone.

"I wanna know what you said to my girlfriend earlier, Hughes." Carter continued, striding over to Christian and glaring down at him.

"I told her to lay off Leanne. She's just jealous." Christian replied, hoping the other boys didn't notice how his voice shook slightly.

Carter folded his arms across his broad chest, evidently unimpressed with Christian's somewhat calm response.

"Oh great," Naomi muttered quietly "just what we need. A confrontation."

"Why would my Josie be jealous of _that_?" Carter questioned, cocking his head towards Leanne was a smirk.

Christian opened his mouth to retort, but couldn't form a response. Carter's smirk grew broader, and Leanne's heart sank. Josie was obviously right then, Leanne decided, if her own friends couldn't come up with a response to defend her.

"Listen, Bronsen," Ollie announced hardly, stepping forward- much to Naomi's and Leanne's shock- "just keep Josie away from Leanne, yeah?"

Carter didn't respond, instead turning his attention to Leanne.

"You're a rude little bitch, aren't you? Not responding to my texts… What's up? Were you too busy stuffing your fat face?" Carter asked, grinning.

His friends laughed, and Leanne did the one thing she could think of. She turned and fled.


	79. Talks With the Father-in-law

**A/N: Things are getting heated… Read and Review :)**

Lungbarrow: Talks With the Father-in-law

"Just sit down please, Leanne. We haven't finished talking to you!" the Doctor told the stubborn teenager angrily.

"Yeah? Well, I've finished talking to _you_!"

Leanne's shouts seemed to echo through the large house. Both James and Noah were at the top of the stairs, peeking through the gap in the banisters as they listened to their parents and their big sister argue.

"Lea, Mr Albertson said that Ollie, Naomi and Christian reported that you were being bullied! We just want to help you!" Rose insisted, half-upset and half-angry now.

"It doesn't matter!" Leanne retorted angrily.

"It obviously does, or they wouldn't have told the Headmaster!" the Doctor responded.

"Yeah? Well what does it matter to you?" Leanne snapped furiously.

"We're your parents! I'm your Dad!" the Doctor yelled back, anger growing more and more with each passing minute.

"You're not my _real_ Dad!"

And with that, Leanne ran from the room, up the stairs and passed her stunned brothers to her bedroom, slamming the door hard.

"Doctor," Rose began to her husband nervously, noting the shocked, hurt expression on his face.

The Doctor, however, merely swallowed hard before glancing over at Rose. And then he was out the sitting room, across the entrance hall and grabbing his coat from the cupboard before hurrying out the front door.

**~StormWolf10~**

Pete Tyler opened the front door to find a thoroughly miserable Doctor on his front step. Not even questioning it, Pete quickly ushered the man inside. Jackie had come out of the front room to see who was at the door, and Tony had appeared at the top of the stairs. Tony looked about ready to barrel into the Doctor and beg him to play with him, but stopped when he saw how depressed his brother-in-law looked. Jackie just seemed confused, and Pete quickly began leading the Doctor up the stairs.

"We'll be in the study, Jaqs. Don't disturb us unless it's urgent." Pete told his wife.

Jackie nodded, ushering Tony down the stairs and into the front room with- surprisingly- no questions. The Doctor was soon slipping into Pete's study, the door firmly shut behind them.

"Thanks for this." The Doctor told Pete quietly.

"No problem," Pete responded as he sat behind his desk. He gestured for the Doctor to take a seat "what can I do for you, Doctor?"

"Well, know you said I could come to you if I ever needed to talk?" the Doctor began nervously.

"Yes," Pete replied, frowning slightly and leaning forward in his seat.

The Doctor looked up, wide-eyed and desperate.

"I think I need to talk."

**~StormWolf10~**

Pete slid a glass of scotch across the desk to the Doctor, who responded by picking it up and downing it in one. Pete winced at the action, and sipped his own scotch a little slower.

"So," Pete announced after a few moments "Lea really said that?"

The Doctor nodded morosely.

"Yep. Actually, she yelled it so loud I'm surprised you didn't hear it here." The Doctor replied.

The joke fell flat, and Pete could tell that the Doctor was taking it hard.

"She was very adamant about it, actually," the Doctor continued against his better judgement, gaze fixed on a small scratch in Pete's wooden desk "that I am '_not her real Dad_'."

"Jonathan," Pete spoke up, shocking the Doctor at the use of his human name- he hadn't called him Jonathan since he'd asked how he was coping with the first miscarriage- "why did you come to me about this?"

The question was inquisitive, not unkind. Pete was genuinely curious.

"Well, you're not.. I mean, you and Rose, you're not her… You know." The Doctor replied awkwardly, desperate not to upset his father-in-law.

"You mean I'm not Rose's real Dad?" Pete completed.

The Doctor nodded, but when he looked up at the man, Pete was smiling gently. The Doctor was part relieved and part confused. Of course, he hadn't wanted to upset the man, but he also hadn't expected him to _smile_.

"What do I _do_, Pete?" the Doctor asked the man desperately, eyes filling with tears "I want to help her, but she just won't let me in!"

"You have to understand, Jonathan, you need to let Leanne move things in her own time. The boys both call you Mum and Dad all the time now, but Leanne is probably still wary; she did spend more time with her birth parents, after all. But also, she's probably _scared_. If what the Headmaster told you is true, she's probably going through a lot. Now, of course, I don't have any experience with teenage girls, but Rose was bad enough when she was first here. She'd just had her life torn apart, and she'd suddenly found herself stuck here with a man who looked like her Dad, sounded like her Dad, but had no idea how to _be_ a Dad. My point is, Jonathan, Leanne doesn't know how to react around you and share these things with you because she doesn't know how _you'll_ react."

"But I _just want to help_!" the Doctor protested again, tears beginning to fall again.

"Then help her, Jonathan. But you'll have to start off by helping her as a _friend_." Pete answered, moving round the desk to squeeze the Doctor's shoulder gently "Let her get used to having you as a friend, and then let her decide in her own time when she's ready to accept you as a parent."

"But she'll never see me as her real Dad, will she, Pete?" the Doctor asked quietly, eyes shutting briefly as he took a few deep breaths "Because that's the real problem. She doesn't see me as her _real_ Dad. She sees me as someone trying to impose, trying to take the place of the Dad she once had, of the Dad who loved her dearly. I'm an imposter. A fake."

"I've seen you with those children, Jonathan. You _and_ Rose. You both love those children to bits, even though they aren't biologically your own. You love them so, so much, and you can't fake that." Pete told his son-in-law gently.

The Doctor smiled weakly at him, reaching up to wipe his tears away.

"Thanks, Pete." He told his father-in-law weakly, taking a shaky breath and getting to his feet "I'd better get going. I didn't exactly tell Rose where I was going."

Pete chuckled slightly, clapping the Doctor on the back as they made their way out of the office.

"I'm glad you came to me." Pete told the man quietly "And I'm glad I could help. Just remember, let Leanne move things in her own time."

The Doctor nodded weakly.

"Just.. Can you not tell Jackie about this?" the Doctor asked awkwardly.

"It'll be our secret." Pete assured him.

The two men hurried down the stairs as quietly as they could, trying not to attract Jackie's attention. With a final whispered 'thanks', the Doctor slipped out the front door.


	80. Help

**A/N: I think this simply-titled chapter is the one everyone's been desperate for…**

Lungbarrow: Help

Rose buried her face in her hands. It had been several days since Leanne had accused the Doctor of not being her 'real Dad', and the girl had tearfully apologised the moment the Doctor had come home again. She'd spent much of the rest of that Sunday evening curled up on the sofa, eventually falling asleep with her head on the Doctor's shoulder. It had been at that point that the Doctor and Rose had very quietly decided between the two of them that they needed to sort out whatever it was that was affecting Leanne. And then, on the Monday night, the Doctor had received a somewhat worrying phone call from Ollie, who told them what he, Christian and Naomi believed to be wrong with Leanne. Now, Rose was sat at the dining table, laptop in front of her and face in her hands as she took in what she had just read on the webpage. With a big sigh, Rose reluctantly uncovered her face again, looking at the screen again. At the top of the page, there was the sentence 'Anorexia Nervosa: what you need to know'. She was now kicking herself for not noticing the symptoms sooner, all the clues had been there. But Leanne had seemed rather happy in herself, often playing video games with Noah and James, and she'd seemed to be getting on alright at school. Of course, rather naively, Rose hadn't even considered her adopted teenage daughter developing anorexia, because the girl was fairly skinny anyway. With a deep breath, Rose got to her feet and headed out of the room, making her way upstairs. Noah and James were in the front room, happily watching TV, but Leanne had disappeared upstairs after arriving home from school. Heading straight for Leanne's room, Rose knocked on the door before entering.

"Hiya, Lea, could I have a chat?" Rose asked the girl, hoping to sound casual.

Leanne frowned slightly, but nodded and sat up on her bed. Shutting the door behind her, Rose made her way over to the bed and sat down.

"Ollie phoned us on Monday night," Rose began carefully "he said that you hadn't been eating much at school, and that you'd joined the gym."

"Yeah, and?" Leanne asked, although Rose could see fear in her eyes.

"And Ollie suggested that it might be due to the bullying that's been going on."

Leanne shrugged.

"Does it matter if it is?" she asked.

"Yes," Rose answered gently "the Doctor and I are going to see Mr Albertson tomorrow."

Leanne's eyes immediately widened at that.

"You really don't have to," Leanne protested quickly.

"We do, Lea." Rose told her calmly, resting a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder "We need to stop this before it goes too far."

**~StormWolf10~**

"I just can't believe we missed all the signs," Rose sighed, resting her head on her husband's shoulder.

"It can't be helped, Rose," the Doctor told her quietly "we were sending her to school with a packed lunch every day, and she was coming back with an empty lunchbox. She wasn't eating much of her dinner, granted, but she'd also been insisting that Ollie had been bringing sweets into school."

"But how did we miss it? I mean, looking at her now, she's lost so much weight!" Rose murmured.

The Doctor opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when he saw Leanne in the doorway. It was almost eleven at night, and all the kids were supposed to be asleep, but it was evident that Leanne wasn't.

"Can…Umm, can I speak to you?" Leanne asked nervously.

Rose and the Doctor both nodded immediately, and Leanne made her way over, sitting on the floor.

"I, uh, I figure I owe you an explanation." Leanne began nervously.

The Doctor immediately moved on the sofa, and tugged Leanne by the arm to sit between him and Rose.

"When did it start, Lea?" Rose asked the girl gently.

"The bullying?" the teenager questioned, eyes bright with unshed tears.

Mutely, Rose nodded.

"A few days after I started at Edmonton Academy." She admitted quietly.

The Doctor's eyes shut briefly, and he took a deep breath while Rose bit her lip.

"Why didn't you say anything before?" the Doctor queried, brow furrowed.

"Because I thought I could handle it." Leanne admitted with a shrug. "It was stupid things at first, like name-calling, or putting chewing gum on my chair. Then… then they started calling me fat, started going in my bag to steal my lunch. They took my phone too, at one point. Only to copy down my mobile number. I didn't even know it had been gone. Then they began texting, stuff about how I was fat and how I should be starved…"

Leanne trailed off, taking a deep breath, and Rose pulled the girl in for a hug.

"Was that what that text was the day Ollie came for tea?" Rose asked softly.

Leanne nodded.

"So you began exercising and cutting out food?" the Doctor asked.

Again, Leanne nodded.

"I'm not anorexic, though." Leanne said suddenly, looking up at her adopted parents "I know I've lost weight, an' I'm not going to deny that it's because of the bullying, but it's not _that_ bad."

"It is, Lea," Rose told the girl quietly "you weren't big to start with. You were, what, a size 10? And now you've lost more weight…"

Leanne bit her lip and stared at the floor. They were wrong. She _had_ needed to lose the weight, she'd been eating so much junk… She didn't care, she couldn't go back to eating three big meals a day, she simply couldn't. But then she looked up at the Doctor and Rose. At her parents. And they looked so worried, so concerned. So, she decided to humour them. If they wanted to help, they could. It wouldn't make any difference.

"I'm sorry," Leanne murmured, leaning into Rose's side again.

"We just want you to understand that you need help, Lea," the Doctor urged gently "surely you must be feeling the effects of not eating enough. Tiredness? Lack of periods?"

Leanne scrunched her nose up at that, but reluctantly nodded. And then it hit her like a freight train. The Doctor's concerned expression, Rose's worry, the tiredness she'd been feeling for _weeks_ now… Biting back a sob, Leanne looked from the Doctor to Rose.

"Mum? Dad? I think I need help…"


	81. Explanations

**A/N: Ok, I'd been putting off writing this chapter, as it's quite sad. Sweet, but sad… Tissues at the ready, guys…**

Lungbarrow: Explanations

The Doctor rubbed at his eyes as Noah and James ran off in different directions.

"Hold on you two, don't go too far," he called after them as he hurried after the two young boys.

The Doctor hurried after the boys, weaving between various medical staff and porters that were milling around near the hospital entrance. He finally caught up with the boys in a small shop as they looked over a rack of stickers.

"Dad," Noah piped up upon seeing the Doctor appear beside them "can I get some stickers?"

"What for?" the Doctor asked the five year old in confusion.

Noah shrugged and the Doctor sighed.

"Ok, one packet of stickers each. Then we need to go find the colouring books." The Doctor told them.

"Why?" James asked with frown "And how come we left Mum and Lea upstairs?"

"Because Leanne needs to speak to a doctor about something." The Doctor replied calmly "Now choose your stickers. We'll find the colouring books and then we'll need to go back up to the ward. Your Mum and I need to have a conversation with you about your sister and I'm not about to do it in the middle of WH Smith."

Both boys just blinked however, and the Doctor was beginning to wonder if the five year old and eight year old really understood how serious it was that they were in a hospital.

"Is Lea poorly?" Noah asked suddenly, wide-eyed.

The Doctor paused for a moment, mouth half-open as he struggled to respond.

"Yeah," he replied eventually "that's why we had to bring her to see a doctor."

"But you're a doctor, Dad! You're the best doctor, because you're _the_ Doctor!" Noah replied, frowning in confusion.

The Doctor couldn't help but smile a little at that, particularly as James began nodding in agreement.

"I know, but Lea needs a special doctor to help her, and I'm not qualified to do that." The Doctor explained gently, before smiling and attempting a more cheerful tone as he continued "Now, how about we go find you those colouring books?"

**~StormWolf10~**

"Mum," Leanne piped up quietly, turning to look at Rose for the first time since the Doctor and the boys had left the ward "'m scared."

Rose quickly reached for Leanne's hand, squeezing it reassuringly before pulling the girl in for a hug.

"It's gonna be ok, Lea. That's why you're here. To get better." Rose told her gently, smoothing the girl's hair back.

"I know, but… What if Ollie and Naomi and Christian don't wanna be friends with me anymore?"

"Why wouldn't they want to be friends anymore?" Rose asked in confusion, pulling back slightly to look Leanne in the eyes.

Leanne shrugged, biting her lip.

"I dunno. Because I'm in therapy? How many people want to be friends with someone who has to see a psychiatrist?" Leanne asked bitterly.

Rose opened her mouth to speak, but just then Leanne's name was called by a young, friendly-looking male doctor.

"Want me to come in with you?" Rose asked quietly as Leanne stood.

Leanne paused for a moment, before shaking her head and following the young doctor into the therapy room.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Where's Lea?" James asked as soon as they returned to the ward.

"She's gone to speak to the doctor." Rose replied with a reassuring smile.

"Oh. I wanted to show her my stickers." James sighed, sitting on a chair beside Rose.

"You can show her when she comes out, ok?" Rose told the boy, smoothing down his dirty blonde hair "Anyway, what did you two buy?"

"Daddy got us some colouring books and stickers." Noah announced, clambering onto Rose's lap before James could say anything "An' we got card too."

"What's the card for?" Rose asked in confusion.

"To make Lea a get well soon card." Noah answered simply, giving Rose a funny look that seemed to say 'isn't it obvious, Mummy?'

"I'm sure she'll love that." Rose assured the five year old with a smile "But before you start doing that, Daddy and I owe you an explanation. About Lea."

"Dad said Lea was ill. Is it like when me and James had chicken pox?" Noah asked curiously.

"Not quite." The Doctor admitted.

"Is she ill like our first Mum was?" James asked hesitantly, eyes wide.

"No! No, sweetheart, nothing like that. Leanne's fine, she just needs some help." Rose explained quickly, soothing the boy.

Although Leanne and James didn't speak about it much, they'd both been fully aware that their birth Mum had died from cancer. After all, they had been eleven and six when it happened. It was the first time it had been brought up since the Doctor and Rose had discussed it with them shortly after the adoption process had been started.

"That's why Leanne has to see a special doctor. She's seeing a psychiatrist." The Doctor explained carefully as he crouched in front of James.

Noah just blinked, but James frowned slightly, recognising the term.

"Doesn't a psychiatrist work with people's brains?" James asked.

"Sort of, yeah," Rose agreed with a soft smile "see, remember I had to speak with Leanne last week, about something Ollie had told us?" Both boys nodded, and Rose took this as a sign to continue explaining "Well, Leanne has something called anorexia, which means she's lost a lot of weight over a short time, and that's very bad for her."

"Does this mean she gets to eat lots of chocolate?" Noah piped up, brow furrowed "Because Gran said chocolate makes you put on weight."

The Doctor smirked slightly at that, but shook his head, becoming serious again.

"No. The reason Leanne got this illness is because she wasn't eating properly," the Doctor explained.

"Why not?" James demanded, wide-eyed again.

"Because some very nasty people at school were bullying her, and made her feel like she had to lose weight."Rose told him gently, watching as James grew more angry and upset until the Doctor stood and lifted the boy onto his lap, sitting in James' seat.

"So, Lea's going to be seeing the psychiatrist, who will hopefully help her feel better. But you two will need to help us at home too, because we need to make sure Leanne begins eating properly again. We can't expect her to begin eating normally again straight away, because her tummy's shrunk, but we can help her work her way back up to that goal, yeah?" Rose asked the boys.

Both boys nodded without hesitation, wide-eyed.

"I…" Noah began uncertainly, looking at his parents, who both nodded encouragingly "I think Lea's gonna need those get well soon cards."


	82. School Assembly

**A/N: A short, hopefully happier chapter for you now :) Focuses more on James and Noah. **

Lungbarrow: School Assembly

Rose waved at Noah as he proudly took his seat on the stage. He grinned, and waved back, beaming happily. It was a special school assembly that day, where the students who had made the most improvement the previous year got a certificate. Of course, as Noah had only entered year one a few months ago, everyone in his year group was getting a certificate, as they'd all learnt to read and write their names and count up to twenty. Nonetheless, Noah was looking very proud up on stage, looking very smart in his black blazer and black and green striped tie. As smart as the uniform looked, however, it was costing Rose and the Doctor a small fortune- as both Noah and James were at Edmonton Primary (James being in year three now), they were having to buy twice as much uniform, and both boys had already grown out of their blazers from the year before. This year, the Doctor and Rose had- at Jackie's suggestion- bought the boys' blazers a little bigger than needed so that they'd hopefully last longer than a year. That, coupled with the cost of Leanne's new uniform, made Rose very grateful that Torchwood payed well. Someone dropped into the seat beside Rose, and she rolled her eyes, glancing over at the person.

"Leanne, I know you don't want to be here, but at least try and look happy for your brother, yeah?" Rose suggested quietly, reaching for her daughter's hand and squeezing it gently.

Leanne nodded reluctantly, sitting up a little straighter. It had been only six days since she'd first seen her therapist- a kindly young man called Doctor Lloyd- and her school had given her a week or two off to come to terms with what was happening to her. She'd been to see Doctor Lloyd again earlier that day, which was how she'd ended up attending Noah's certificate assembly with Rose. Leanne gazed around the hall, watching as seats slowly began filling as more and more parents arrived.

**~StormWolf10~**

Soon, the assembly was underway, and the children were being presented their certificates one by one, in alphabetical order. Leanne tried her best not to look bored, but she could tell that even Rose was growing bored with the near-constant clapping. Eventually, however, Noah was awarded his certificate, and he waved eagerly at his Mum and sister, who both waved back, grinning. Once the assembly was over, Noah came bounding over to them, hugging Rose tight.

"Well done, sweetheart!" Rose told Noah happily as she hugged him.

Noah grinned up at his Mum.

"Can we go home now, Mummy?" Noah asked with a toothy smile.

"Not yet, sweetheart," Rose told her son, shaking her head "we're going to go and sit in the lunch hall for a while and then we'll go and see James' assembly."

Noah pouted, reluctantly nodding at that. If the children had parents attending the 'award' assemblies, they were allowed to go home after their assembly. However, Rose, Leanne and Noah had to wait for James' assembly before they could go anywhere. As Rose led her two children to the school lunch hall, Noah began chattering away eagerly to his sister, telling her all about what he'd done that morning at school. Leanne, for her part, was doing her best to look interested, nodding.

**~StormWolf10~**

Noah sat, fidgeting on Leanne's lap. They were waiting for James' assembly to start, and the children would be coming in any minute.

"Sit still, Noah." Leanne sighed, grasping her brother's hips to try and encourage him to sit still.

A cheeky grin spread across the five year old's face, and he wriggled even more, dropping heavily against Leanne's stomach and causing her to cry out. Within seconds, the little boy found himself being plucked from his sister's lap and settled on his Mother's.

"Noah, if you're not going to sit still on Lea's lap, you'll have to sit on your own chair." Rose told the little boy sternly "Now, apologise to your sister for hurting her."

"'M fine, Mum-" Leanne began, although one arm was wrapped around her ribs.

"_Apologise_, Noah." Rose repeated, ignoring Leanne's protests.

Noah pouted slightly, before turning and mumbling an apology to Leanne. Rose then let him settle back against her as James' year group were led in and over to their seats.

"You know Lea's been poorly, sweetheart." Rose reminded her son quietly "You need to be a little more careful not to hurt her now."

Noah nodded slightly before waving happily at James, who had just taken his seat on the stage.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Why couldn't Dad come?" James asked, clutching his certificate in his hand as Rose led him, Leanne and Noah to the car.

"Because he had to work. You know your Dad works on Fridays, James." Rose reminded her son, digging in her handbag for her keys.

"But couldn't he take a day off?" James questioned, frowning slightly.

"Not really, sweetie. If your Dad took time off now, we wouldn't be able to have as long a holiday in the summer." Rose told him, finally pulling her car keys out and unlocking the car as they approached.

She helped James and Noah strap themselves into the car while Leanne climbed into the front passenger seat.

"But we can show Daddy our certificates when he gets home, right?" Noah asked, wide-eyed.

"Of course you can, sweetheart. And we're going to Gran and Granddad's on Sunday, so you can show them too." Rose told him, ruffling his hair.

They had seen Jackie briefly earlier, of course, as Tony had had his assembly, but James hadn't been with them at the time.

"'Kay. Good." Noah said resolutely.

Rose grinned, shaking her head as she climbed into the drivers' seat and started up the car. For almost the whole car journey, Leanne, Noah and James argued over which radio station they wanted, annoying Rose so much that in the end she simply turned it off. When they arrived home, she'd barely had time to unlock the front door before both boys were running past her and up the stairs to their bedrooms to play. With a shake of her head, Rose turned to her daughter.

"Don't suppose you want to help me with dinner?"


	83. Full House

**A/N: New chapter! I'm so sorry it took so long, but I had writers' block and a tonne of college work…Anywho, it sees the return of Donna and Arthur. And hey, look, I remembered they have a cat!**

Lungbarrow: Full House

It was just eight days before Christmas and the Lungbarrows had a full house. They'd needed to ask a favour from Arthur for Christmas Eve, and had decided that while they were asking him, they should invite him round. What with the Doctor and Rose only working part-time since they'd adopted the children, they didn't spend as much time with their work friends together. The Doctor had also had the idea to invite Donna round in the hope that it would help Leanne; the girl got on well with her, and both the Doctor and Rose were hoping that Donna's gentle urging may help the girl in her recovery. Both Donna and Arthur were well aware of the problems Leanne had, as the Doctor and Rose had told them, and it was hoped that the dinner would benefit Lea as well as being nice for James and Noah, who hadn't seen Donna and Arthur for a while.

"Donna!" Noah yelled, barrelling into the woman happily.

Donna laughed, lifting the boy into her arms.

"Hello, Noah!" Donna told the boy with a smile "Are you excited for Christmas?"

Noah nodded eagerly, grinning.

"But I've been better than Noah," James chipped in, appearing at Donna's side.

"Have not!" Noah shook his head vehemently at his older brother, pouting as he did so.

"Have too!" James retorted quickly.

Donna quirked an eyebrow at the pair, settling Noah back on his feet and crossing to where Leanne was watching her brothers in amusement, leant against the doorway to the sitting room.

"And how are you doing?" Donna asked the teenager quietly, watching as Smoky wound his way around the girl's legs, meowing plaintively before darting away as Noah ran towards the small animal.

Leanne shrugged and sniffed, not meeting Donna's eyes. Instead she watched as Arthur, who had been talking to the Doctor and Rose, made a beeline for Noah, sweeping him into his arms and dangling him upside down. A small smile flickered across Leanne's face as she watched.

"I'm ok, I suppose." She replied eventually, still not quite meeting Donna's gaze.

"You know you can always call me if you want to talk, yeah?" Donna continued gently, stepping closer to the girl and gaining her full attention.

Leanne smiled slightly, nodding.

"I know."

**~StormWolf10~**

Arthur and Donna watched, both a little perplexed at the chaos in front of them. Granted, they'd both been around Leanne, James and Noah a lot, occasionally meeting up with the family on days off, meeting them at parks or coming round to the house. However, they'd never seen the three children being so chaotic at a meal. Rose and the Doctor had opted to serve a buffet-style dinner so that everyone could just help themselves to everything on the table. This meant that both Noah and James were fighting each other for pieces of gammon and potatoes, while avoiding the vegetable entirely. The Doctor and Rose were trying to calm the two boys down, and Leanne was quietly eying the food with disdain.

"You two had better tuck in, else the boys will eat it all." The Doctor told Arthur and Donna, glancing up at them.

Quickly, Arthur reached for a bowl of vegetable, spooning some onto his plate before offering some to Donna. Eventually, within about five minutes, everyone was settled down with plates of food. Both James and Noah were wolfing down their foods, but Leanne was poking at hers reluctantly. Seeing this, Rose sighed and reached for her daughter's hand. She was sat beside Leanne, so only had to lean over slightly to talk quietly to her.

"You don't have to eat it all, ok?" Rose told the girl gently "Just have a bit of it."

Leanne looked up at Rose, a pitiful expression on her face, and she nodded.

**~StormWolf10~**

After dinner, James and Noah dragged Donna into the front room to play video games with them. Leanne trailed after them into the front room, settling on the sofa and beginning to text Ollie. Arthur, meanwhile, began helping the Doctor and Rose clear up the dinner things.

"Where's Rory, then?" Rose asked Arthur as they carried the empty plates and dishes to the kitchen.

"Family meal." Arthur replied "Annual thing. I don't tend to go, though. I get on well with his family, but I think there are some traditions they'd like to keep just between them."

Rose nodded, understanding. They set the plates down beside the sink as the Doctor began washing them up.

"So," Arthur continued, frowning slightly "what was it you wanted to ask me?"

"We wanted a favour, actually." The Doctor admitted, glancing over his shoulder to his friend and wife.

"Oh, right?" Arthur replied, a hand going through his sandy blonde hair.

"Yeah," Rose picked up "we were wonderin' if you could come round on Christmas Eve, and… Well, dress up as Santa?"

Arthur blinked, looking between Rose and the Doctor. Rose was blushing slightly, and the Doctor had turned back to the washing up.

"You want me to dress up as Santa?" Arthur echoed, still frowning.

Meekly, Rose nodded.

"It's for the boys, you see." Rose hastened to explain "The Doctor dressed up as Santa for Tony the first year we were here, an' we wanted to do the same for Noah and James. It's our first proper Christmas, see, since we adopted Leanne and James. And we couldn't have the Doctor dress up, because Noah would probably ask where he is, and then it would get awkward…"

Rose trailed off with a shrug, biting her lip as she watched for Arthur's reaction. Arthur thought for a moment or two before speaking.

"What time do you want me here?"

Rose just grinned.


	84. Santa Claus

**A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates! I'm trying to get things moving again… Also, would you object to me adding another character into the mix? I have the character planned and want to add them, but they'd be adopted by Rose and the Doctor, and they've already got Leanne, James and Noah…. LET ME KNOW!**

Lungbarrow: Santa Claus

On December 24th, at seven pm, the Doctor and Rose were getting Noah and James ready for bed. Both boys were protesting and insisting they weren't tired.

"Now come on," Rose told them, crouching in front of the pair of them "if you two don't go and put your pyjamas on, you won't get your surprise, will you?"

"Yeah," the Doctor chipped in, tone conspiratorial as Noah and James looked up at him with wide eyes "because a little birdie told me that we might be getting a visitor. But if you're not in your pyjamas and ready for bed, we'll have to send them away, won't we?"

Almost immediately, the two little boys began scrambling to get to the door, and Rose grinned, following them out into the entrance hall and up the stairs. James had headed straight for his bedroom, so Rose followed Noah to his room. After a few minutes, James appeared at Noah's bedroom door, in his pyjamas. In his haste to get changed, Noah had gotten himself tangled in his jumper, and Rose had had to untangle him. Just then, there was a knock on the door downstairs, and both boys froze, wide-eyed. By now, Rose had managed to tug Noah's pyjama top over his head, and she grinned at them.

"Go on then, you two, go see who it is." Rose told them, nudging them towards the door.

Moments later, the two boys were running down the corridor and down the stairs. As Rose followed, she stifled a giggle as she saw Arthur, dressed in full Santa get-up complete with fake beard. The two boys, however, seemed delighted. Leanne was stood in the sitting room doorway, eyebrow arched as she surveyed the scene in front of her.

"Santa!" Noah and James chorused, running for Arthur, who crouched down and hugged the boys.

"Hello, Noah, James," Arthur told them.

Although most of the lower part of his face was obscured by the fake beard, Rose could hear the smile in her friend's voice.

"Have you got presents for us, Santa?" Noah asked, pulling away to scrutinise Santa.

There was a pause in the room as all the adults- including Leanne- held their breaths, hoping the little boy wouldn't recognise Arthur. And then, Noah continued talking.

"'Cause you've got that big sack of presents but you haven't given us anythin'."

Rose sagged against the wall in relief, chuckling slightly.

"Noah, don't be rude." The Doctor told their youngest son, although he too was smiling.

Arthur chuckled, reaching for the sack he'd brought with them. Rose frowned. They hadn't given Arthur any presents to bring with him; they were all upstairs in hers and the Doctor's room, waiting for the children to go to bed so that they could bring the presents down and put them under the tree. And so, it was to Rose and the Doctor's great shock when Arthur- Santa- pulled out several presents and handed them to the boys.

"Now, you mustn't open them until morning though," Arthur told the boys with a smile.

Both boys nodded seriously, now both clutching several presents to themselves. With a smile, Arthur straightened, a final few presents in his hands.

"Lea," he said, holding out the presents for the girl.

The thirteen year old looked bemused, but crossed over to take them with a small, thankful smile.

"I hope you two are going straight to bed after this," Arthur told James and Noah "because I've got to come back with more presents for you later, but you're not allowed to see them because they're secret."

Again, both boys nodded seriously, before scampering off to put the presents under the tree, Leanne following them. Once the three kids had returned, the Doctor encouraged the boys to say goodbye to 'Santa' before taking them up to bed. Once the boys were out of sight- and earshot-, Arthur took the fake beard off, sighing.

"Thanks for that, Arthur," Rose told him, grinning.

"No problem. Actually, I think Rory found it hilarious when I told him why I was going out." Arthur replied with a grin.

"Where'd you get the presents from, though?" Rose asked in interest.

"Just a few things me and Rory bought them." Arthur shrugged "And a few presents from Donna too."

Leanne had disappeared back into the front room, so Rose saw Arthur to the door on her own and waved him off.

**~StormWolf10~**

The next morning, much the same as the previous year, the children woke the Doctor and Rose early. Well, the two boys did. Leanne was still asleep, and joined them at a- as she put it- more decent hour, which happened to be eight thirty as James and Noah sat outside her door yelling until she got up. Once Leanne was up too, they were allowed to open their big presents downstairs. Already, the floor was strewn with crayons, toy cars, dinosaurs and plastic farm animals and trains, all of which had been in the boys' stockings. The two boys began scrabbling at the presents under the tree, pushing other presents aside until they reached presents with their own names on it. It didn't take long for a huge pile of wrapping paper to form- which delighted Smoky, as he pounced around in the pile-, and the three children were soon surrounded by presents. While Leanne had mostly clothes and money, both James and Noah had built up a significant amount of toy cars, books, clothes, Lego kits and video games. The Doctor and Rose had all but forgotten about their own presents until Leanne crossed to the tree and brought out a large wrapped present they hadn't previously noticed.

"This is from me and the boys," Leanne explained carefully as she handed the gift to the Doctor.

The three children then stood awkwardly in front of their parents as, together, Rose and the Doctor opened the present. And gasped.

"Is it alright?" Leanne asked nervously "Gran and Granddad took us to have it done."

"It's… It's brilliant," Rose assured their daughter with a smile.

The three children grinned. They'd pestered Jackie and Pete to take them and have a professional photo done, after James had heard a boy in his class saying that he'd had it done for his parents' wedding anniversary. And so, they'd had the professional photo taken and put onto a large canvas. Shifting the canvas to lean against the side of the sofa, the Doctor reached for the three children, tugging them over for a hug.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Go on then, you guys, go and get dressed," Rose told the three children who were still in their pyjamas. It was almost eleven, and the children had been so preoccupied with playing with their new toys- or, in Leanne's case, helping her brothers put their Lego kits together.

Immediately, the two boys began grumbling, but Leanne got to her feet, leaving the room to get dressed. After another few minutes, Rose encouraged the boys out of the room to get dressed too, promising them that they could wear the new t-shirts Donna had bought them. The Doctor began to tidy up the mound of wrapping paper- something that angered Smoky, as he hissed and spat at the Doctor before stalking away to the kitchen. Leanne returned, fully dressed and texting away on her phone.

"Who're you texting?" the Doctor asked in interest.

"Ollie." Leanne replied, flopping onto the sofa.

The Doctor fought the urge to roll his eyes- Leanne was always texting Ollie- and took the rubbish bag out to the kitchen. He heard Noah and James come back downstairs with Rose and, when he entered the front room again, he stopped dead, staring at the t-shirts the two boys were wearing.

"You.. When… Who got you those t-shirts?" the Doctor asked the boys, a grin spreading across his face.

Rose smirked at her husband.

"Donna got them for them." Rose explained with a grin.

James and Noah, meanwhile, looked down at their clothes in confusion. They were stood side by side, James in black jeans, Noah in blue jeans and both in mismatched socks, wearing bright red 'Thing 1' and 'Thing 2' t-shirts.

"Oh, good old Donna Noble!" the Doctor crowed, laughing "I _have_ to get a picture of this!"

And as he hurried off to locate Rose's digital camera, the two young boys merely looked at each other in bemusement.


	85. Stars

**A/N: Nice little James-centric chapter for you now :) Figured we hadn't had enough of the middle child.**

Lungbarrow: Stars

"Rose?" the Doctor called as he hurried along to Noah's bedroom "Is James with you?"

Rose's head popped out of the door, slipping out and quietly shutting the door.

"No. Why? You're meant to be getting him ready for bed." Rose replied tiredly "I've only just managed to get Noah down, an hour of tears and tantrums before he finally agreed to sleep."

The slightly panicked look on her husband's face brought Rose crashing back to Earth.

"What's the matter?" Rose demanded, tugging the Doctor towards the stairs so they wouldn't wake Noah.

"I don't want you to panic, but I can't find him." The Doctor admitted carefully.

"What?" Rose asked, incredulous "He can't be far!"

"I've looked everywhere, Leanne's in her room, on the phone to Ollie again. She hasn't seen him. He's not in the music room, the study, his room, our room, the spare room, the bathroom, the kitchen, the front room… I've looked everywhere, Rose!"

The Doctor was close to hyperventilating now, and Rose was panicking too, dragging him down the stairs and opening the coat cupboard. James' coat was missing.

"He's gone out." Rose murmured, panic rising even further in her chest. "He's gone out. It's bloody half past seven at night!"

There were several, agonisingly long seconds in silence before Rose spoke again.

"I'm gonna call Mum."

"I'll check the kitchen and dining room again." The Doctor told his wife, hurrying off as Rose dialled Jackie's number on her mobile.

**~StormWolf10~**

The Doctor could hear Rose's panicky explanation of the situation to her Mum as he headed into the kitchen. It was empty, and he was desperately trying to keep himself calm now, but it was then that he noticed something. The back door was open. Hurrying for it, the Doctor slipped out into the back garden. And there, lying in the grass in a tangle of blankets and coat, was James. Letting out a relieved sigh, the Doctor turned to shout back into the house.

"Don't worry, I've found him."

He heard a pause, then a 'Oh, thank god!" from Rose, who came hurrying out into the kitchen, still talking to Jackie.

"No, no, it's alright, Mum. The Doctor's found him." Rose explained into the phone, before raising her eyebrows at the Doctor.

Sensing her silent question, the Doctor nodded to the garden.

"He's in the garden." Rose told Jackie "Well, I don't know why. We're just gonna go talk to him. We'll call you later. Bye."

Rose hung up with a relieved sigh, looking up to see that the Doctor had disappeared into the garden again. Rose hurried outside, wincing at the freezing January air, and saw that the Doctor was now lying in the grass beside James, who was looking up at the stars.

"You alright, sweetheart?" Rose asked her son, sitting in the grass beside him.

James nodded, still staring up at the stars.

"You sure? You disappeared rather suddenly on us there. Gave us quite the scare." The Doctor added.

"'M ok." James replied quietly, not looking at them "I like to look at the stars. 'S nice. Peaceful."

The Doctor grinned at that.

"Yeah, it is." The Doctor agreed.

"I… I wanna learn about the stars." James added quietly.

Rose glanced over at her son and husband and, slowly, got to her feet.

"Not for long tonight, it's already past your bedtime, and you've got school tomorrow. But how about Daddy gives you a quick lesson tonight and then we'll see if we can get you some astronomy books, yeah?" Rose suggested.

James grinned tiredly, nodding eagerly.

**~StormWolf10~**

Half an hour later, after the Doctor had pointed out several constellations to James, giving him the background story for each, he was carrying the little boy up to bed. The boy was dozing in his arms, lulled to sleep beneath the stars as the Doctor told him about the different legends that gave the constellations their names. Smiling softly, the Doctor carried the boy upstairs to his room. However, just as he settled the boy into his bed, slipping off his coat and shoes, James cracked one eye open.

"Dad?" he asked tiredly.

"Yeah," the Doctor replied softly "go back to sleep, buddy."

And, within moments, the boy was asleep.


	86. Celebration

**A/N: Just to let you wonderful readers know, there is a poll on my profile page on whether or not you'd like Rose and the Doctor to adopt another child. At the moment, only two people have voted- one for, one against. I'm very keen to write this character up, but I understand what RoseMcDonald is saying (thanks for reviewing!) and that three kids may be enough… Anywho, you really need to let me know, because I'm beginning to write the character up. If the character won't be used in this story, I can use the idea in another story, so, yeah… Let me know please :)**

Lungbarrow: Celebration

The day was January 30th. It was circled on the Doctor's and Rose's calendar in the kitchen, an imperfect circle in blue biro. Like November 28th, it marked a special date in the Lungbarrow's lives. While November 28th was the day they'd adopted Noah, January 30th was the day that Leanne and James had officially become part of the family. And that, of course, called for a celebration. It was a Tuesday, meaning that Rose had to work, and the children were at school, but that gave the Doctor and Jackie time to prepare the house. It was just going to be family, the Doctor, Rose, Leanne, James, Noah, Pete, Jackie and Tony. They were going to have a buffet meal and spend the evening playing games in the front room. None of the kids knew about it, of course, but Leanne was slightly suspicious that something was being planned. The girl even had an appointment with Doctor Lloyd that morning, and had been very suspicious to learn that Pete would be taking her. However, by quarter to four, all the children had been collected from school, Noah, James and Tony barrelling into the house like mini tornadoes. Leanne came in at a slower pace, dumping her school bag as she texted Ollie- who she'd only said goodbye to about a minute before. However, all three children suddenly stilled when they passed the dining room.

"What's all this for?" Leanne asked, frowning at the Doctor in confusion, her phone forgotten for once.

"Do you know what today is?" the Doctor asked the girl with a small smile.

"Yeah, 30th January." Leanne replied.

And then her eyes widened. She'd had her suspicions, of course, ever since Granddad Pete had taken her to her hospital appointment, and Tony coming home with them had only strengthened her suspicions.

"It's been a year." She realised softly, looking at the Doctor with wide eyes.

The Doctor nodded, smiling softly.

"Huh?" James asked, scrunching his nose up in confusion.

"'S been a year since we moved in here," Leanne explained to her younger brother.

This time, it was James' eyes that widened in shock.

"Really?" he asked in surprise.

"'S that why there's loads of food?" Tony asked, looking up at Jackie expectantly.

Jackie nodded.

"An' is Dad coming?" Tony continued.

"Your Dad and your sister will be here when they've finished work." The Doctor assured his brother-in-law "Now, how about we go in the front room and play a game? No one's touching the food yet!"

**~StormWolf10~**

By the time Pete and Rose got home, eight year old James, seven year old Tony and five year old Noah were virtually queuing at the dining room table, plates already in hand.

"Guess we're lucky you guys waited for us." Rose grinned, ruffling Noah's hair before doing the same to James and hugging her little brother hello.

The three boys began piling food on their plates barely a minute later, and Rose quickly urged Lea to grab some food too.

"You don't have to eat it all," Rose told her daughter, watching in amusement as Leanne's eyes went wide at the amount of food Rose was picking for her "but you know your brothers, and you know Tony; if you try to come back for more later, there'll be nothing left."

Leanne nodded, grinning and taking the plate, following her brothers back into the front room to watch a movie. The adults followed, settling down on the sofas as James started the film.

"Do we have cake?" Noah asked suddenly.

"Why would there be cake?" Leanne asked in confusion, brow furrowed at her little brother.

"'Cause it's like a birthday!" Noah replied, grinning, before returning his attention to his parents "Is there cake?"

Jackie and Pete were chuckling quietly as James and Tony joined in with the questioning too.

"Yes, there's cake!" Rose told them, laughing "But you're not having any until you've eaten what's on your plate."

**~StormWolf10~**

"Rose?" Tony began quietly, scooting closer to his sister and glancing warily at his parents every now and then.

"Yeah?" Rose asked, tearing her gaze from the Disney film to look at her brother, who was still sat on the floor.

"Can I have cake now?"

"Have you eaten all the food on your plate?" Rose asked her brother, eyebrow raised.

Tony responded by biting his lip and shaking his head.

"Don't want it." He replied guiltily.

"Let me guess, you have just enough room for cake?" Rose asked her brother with a wry smile.

Tony nodded again, still biting his lip. With a mock-sigh, Rose got to her feet, pulling her little brother up.

"Who wants cake?" she asked.

Before anyone else could even reply, Noah, James and Tony were running for the kitchen.


	87. Burnt Bacon and Badly Wrapped Presents

**A/N: Ooh, you annoying people! A few of you who are calling for another child to be added have prompted it to be a girl, but the character I created was actually going to be a little boy…. So, my question to you guys is would you still be open to the idea? I get that a lot of people want another girl so that Lea would have a sister, but I'm less confident about writing girls compared to boys, as I'm not particularly girly myself. I **_**could**_** rename and re-create the character in question, but I really don't think the idea would work out- I'd drafted up a lovely little scene with Noah and the new kid, and it just **_**wouldn't**_** work if it were a girl…**

Lungbarrow: Badly Wrapped Presents and Burnt Bacon

"Noah, don't!"

"But I wanna help!"

"Don't! You'll burn yourself! Go help James carry the presents!"

"I don't wanna!"

The Doctor sighed, heaving himself into a sitting position. He had no idea what was going on downstairs, but a glance over at Rose, who was looking rather miffed at being woken so early on her day off told him that she was just as clueless.

"What are they doing?" the Doctor asked his wife, straining to listen to what was happening downstairs.

"Oh, god knows." Rose replied, rubbing her eyes and sitting up.

As the two adults listened, they suddenly heard the familiar sound of their youngest son running up the stairs, followed by two sets of somewhat slower footsteps. Both the Doctor and Rose braced themselves for what they were going to see as the footsteps approached their door. And then, the door swung open, revealing a grinning Noah, with James stood beside him clutching a handful of presents. A moment later, Leanne appeared behind them, carrying a tray laden down with breakfast things.

"Happy birthday, Dad!" Leanne announced brightly as she nudged her younger brothers into the room.

The Doctor blinked. He'd forgotten that it was his birthday. He'd known it was coming up, of course, and Rose had taken the children out to get presents and cards, but it had sort of… sneaked up on him.

"We made enough food for both of you," James announced with a grin as Leanne took the tray over to the bed.

"Yeah, and Noah and James have had their breakfast." Leanne added as the Doctor took the breakfast tray.

It seemed that Leanne had done most of the cooking, if the burnt bacon and eggs were anything to go by, although the small finger prints in the toast suggested that James had helped too.

"Thanks, you three!" the Doctor told his kids, laughing in amazement that they'd gone through so much trouble for him.

"We got you presents too!" Noah announced, beginning to pull some of the badly wrapped presents from James' arms to put on the bed.

"Give him chance to eat his breakfast, Noah!" Leanne muttered to her brother, elbowing him none too discretely.

Noah, however, ignored his sister and clambered onto the bed as the Doctor began opening his presents. There were only a few of them, from the kids, and were mostly generic gifts, like a t-shirt stating 'Greatest Dad!' from James, and a box of jelly babies from Noah- which he'd probably have to share with the kids later-, and a DVD from Lea. By the time the Doctor had opened the presents, however, the three kids had joined him and Rose on the bed and Rose had tucked into her breakfast. Noah was trying to steal bits of bacon every now and then, and the smell of the cooked meat had attracted attention from Smoky, who was stood just inside the room sniffing the air hopefully. And as the Doctor watched his five year old son attempt to steal more food, only to have his older siblings laugh at him as Rose slapped his hand playfully, he couldn't help but grin. He could stay here forever, he decided, just the five of them, in their own little world. But the Doctor knew better than anyone. All good things had to end…


	88. Barely a Graze

**A/N: Because things were going far too smoothly for them… A few people have now suggested twins to be added to the story, so that there's one of each. I'm a little unsure that that would be too much, but having thought about it, I'm leaning towards that idea. Because the boy I came up with has grown on me so much I don't want to see him go… At the moment, the poll is showing that 4 people want another child added while only 1 doesn't…. So keep voting! And I will consider twins if there are a lot of people who want it…**

Lungbarrow: Barely a Graze

"Now, are you sure you want to stay out here?" the Doctor asked as he finished setting the tent up in the back garden.

James nodded eagerly, while Noah's nod was a little more hesitant. The Doctor noticed immediately, of course.

"You don't have to stay out here if you don't want to, Noah." The Doctor told his youngest son gently "You can sleep in the house if you want."

"You'll be out here, won't you?" Noah asked nervously.

The Doctor nodded, smiling reassuringly at the boy. Noah thought for a few moments.

"Then I'll stay out here too."

The Doctor nodded and stood up from his crouch. It was a Friday night, just getting dark, and the Doctor, James and Noah would be sleeping in a tent in the garden for the night. James had become even more fascinated by stars since the Doctor had been teaching them about them, and he had begged to sleep outside. Actually, he'd wanted to go camping, but Leanne hadn't been keen on the idea, and James had been horrified to learn that there might not be actual toilets where they camped, so he'd decided to camp in the garden instead. Of course, not wanting to be left out, Noah had agreed to join in too, while Rose and Leanne were much more comfortable sleeping in the house.

"Will we actually be able to see the stars tonight, Dad?" James asked suddenly, casting a worried glance at the sky.

The Doctor looked up too, before nodding slowly.

"Should do," he replied "it doesn't look too cloudy-"

He broke off as Leanne appeared at the back door, holding out the Doctor's mobile.

"Your mobile's ringing, Dad." she told him, crossing the garden "It's Torchwood."

The Doctor hurried over, frowning as he took the phone and answered the call.

"Hello?" he asked, still frowning.

He was silent for several seconds, and then his expression became grim. Fully aware that he had three sets of eyes on him, he tried to keep his expression neutral, but when he spoke, his tone was tense.

"Ok, Pete. I'll be there soon. I'll have to bring the kids, though."

And then, he hung up.

"What did Granddad want?" Noah asked, wide-eyed.

The Doctor, however, didn't answer the question. Not really.

"I'm afraid your camping will have to wait." He told the boys "We have to go to Torchwood."

Confused, James and Noah allowed their Dad to usher them towards the house. Luckily they were still dressed.

"Why?" Leanne piped up as she hurried after them.

The Doctor just looked at Leanne, his eyes begging her not to ask.

"Please, Lea, just go get your coat and shoes on."

Swallowing, Leanne nodded and did as she was told.

**~StormWolf10~**

As they entered the Torchwood Infirmary, Leanne felt James slip his hand into hers. Still unsure what was happening, she did her best to silently reassure her little brother, squeezing his hand tight and giving him a weak smile. When Noah did the same, however, she suddenly found herself trying to hold back the tears. Something was clearly wrong. The Doctor hadn't spoken for the entire drive over, the three kids too scared to ask. They'd never seen him so quiet, and it scared them. The one time Lea had been about to ask, she'd glanced over at her Dad to see he was gripping the steering wheel of the car tight, his eyes damp with unshed tears. So she'd kept her mouth shut.

"Jonathan," Pete greeted upon seeing them.

Leanne swallowed. She knew for a fact that her Granddad only called her Dad 'Jonathan' when things were wrong. And Jackie and Tony were there. Jackie _never_ took Tony to Torchwood.

"How is she?" the Doctor asked hurriedly, already trying to push past Pete.

"Arthur's with her at the moment." Pete replied calmly, before adding slightly quieter "And it really would be best if you tried to stay calm for the kids."

The Doctor blinked, and then turned to see three sets of eyes staring at him. He'd forgotten they were with him. Swallowing, the Doctor nodded at Pete.

"I… Is there somewhere I can take the kids? To…To explain it to them?" the Doctor asked quietly.

"You mean you haven't told them?" Jackie asked incredulously, grabbing Tony's hand and dragging the boy over to the Doctor.

"I… I wasn't thinking." The Doctor admitted, voice shaking.

He couldn't cry. Not here. Not in front of the Torchwood staff. Not in front of his children.

"I was more worried about getting here, to be honest." He told Jackie and Pete meekly.

Pete nodded in understanding.

"I'll take you to my office." Pete told him quietly "I know it's two floors up, but I really don't think it'll be a good idea to have the children hanging around here, and there's no way they can see her yet. Not until she's been cleaned up."

The Doctor nodded, taking a deep breath before speaking.

"Can… Can I see her first?" he asked, voice shaking.

Pet e and Jackie glanced at each other for a few moments.

"Go on then," Jackie sighed after a while "you take the Doctor with you, and I'll take the kids up to the office."

Pete nodded, and Jackie hurried past them to lead her three grandchildren and Tony to the lift to go to Pete's office. The Doctor didn't miss the fact that his two boys were gripping Leanne's hands tight. Once the children and Jackie had disappeared round the corner to the lift, Pete gently guided the Doctor by the shoulder to Rose's room. Pete knocked on the door and, upon hearing Arthur call 'come in', opened it. The first thing the Doctor noticed was that Arthur was in scrubs. He'd never seen Arthur in scrubs before. The second thing he noticed was the blood. Loads of it. Far too much, of that he was certain, far too much of his wife's blood staining Arthur's hands, staining his scrubs and the sheets of the medical gurney she was lying on, staining the previously-clean t-shirt she'd gotten dressed in for work that morning. Her tight jeans had been cut, to expose a wound the Doctor couldn't quite see but- from the pool of blood- appeared to be located somewhere below Rose's left hip. Not even bothering to ask Arthur if it was alright, he rushed to his wife's side, slipping his hand into hers. And Rose opened her eyes.

"Rose?" the Doctor asked quietly, confused.

With the amount of blood she'd evidently lost, she should have been unconscious. Or Arthur should have sedated her.

"Hey." She managed quietly, lips quirking into a tired, sort-of-smile. It was all she could manage.

"What… What happened? Why isn't she sedated?" the Doctor asked, looking up and over to Arthur as his wife's eyes fluttered shut again.

Arthur glanced up at his friend before returning to whatever it was he was doing to Rose's wound.

"She was shot. And refused anaesthesia." Arthur responded as he continued tending to Rose's wound "Caught in the crossfire while we were dealing with some Sontaran."

"You were shot by a Sontaran?" the Doctor asked his wife incredulously, glancing down at her again.

This time, Rose didn't open her eyes, but she shook her head.

"She, uh, was caught in the crossfire." Arthur repeated, a little nervous.

The Doctor blinked. And then it all slotted into place in his head. Rose had been caught in the crossfire. She'd been shot by a Torchwood agent.

"'M fine though." Rose slurred, squeezing her husband's hand weakly as she cracked one eye open and gave him a wonky smile "'S barely a graze."

At that, Arthur blinked and straightened up, while Pete stepped closer to the bed.

"Rose," Arthur announced carefully "this wasn't, as you put it, 'a graze'. The bullet tore through your femoral artery!"

"Barely." Rose mumbled "You said 'barely' earlier. 'S barely grazed the artery."

"Rose," the Doctor told her quietly, squeezing her hand "you could've died."

**~StormWolf10~**

"As you've probably guessed, your Mum's been hurt." The Doctor began carefully.

He was now sat in Pete's office, Noah on his lap, James cuddled into his side and Leanne sat in front of him. Jackie had taken Tony off to see Donna on reception, giving the Doctor time to break the news to the kids.

"Is she gonna be alright?" James piped up, frowning at his Dad.

The Doctor took a deep breath. No point in lying to them.

"She… It'll be touch and go for a while." He admitted, blinking away the tears "Your Mum was shot in the leg, and she's lost quite a bit of blood. The injury's been fixed now, Arthur managed to fix it all up, but she lost a lot of blood. They'll have to give her something called a transfusion to get more blood back into her body. But if she gets through tonight, she'll be fine."

"And if she doesn't?" Leanne asked, already knowing the answer.

The Doctor blinked and looked at his daughter, struggling to form the words. Finally, he managed to gasp out one word: "Don't."

He didn't want to think about that, he _couldn't_ think about that. Not when they had three children together, two of which had already lost a mother before…

"Can we go see Mummy?" Noah asked suddenly, looking up at the Doctor with wide eyes.

The Doctor swallowed, blinked, and nodded.

**~StormWolf10~**

The Doctor watched in silence as Noah surveyed his mother carefully. She'd been cleaned up, of course, the blood gone and the sheets changed. They'd dressed Rose in a hospital-issue gown and connected her to an IV as well as set up the blood transfusion. The Doctor wasn't sure where Pete and Jackie had gone with Tony, but he was grateful. The kids needed this time alone, with Rose. By now, Noah had clambered up onto the chair beside the bed, just… staring at Rose. Leanne and James were stood in the far corner of the room, hugging each other as silent tears rolled down their cheeks. It was bringing back too many memories for them, of when they'd lost their birth mother. James had taken one look at Rose and buried his face in Leanne's chest, sobbing as she held him. Blinking back tears of his own, the Doctor returned his attention to Noah, as the boy sat surveying Rose, waiting for her to wake up. The Doctor had no idea what he'd do if he had to tell the little boy that his Mum would never wake. Finally, he let the tears fall.


	89. I Cannot Walk This Path Alone

**A/N: By popular demand, there will be another child joining the family! It's most likely going to be a boy, as Leanne isn't a very girly character. I'm sure you'll all love the new character, who will be joining in a few chapters…**

Lungbarrow: I Cannot Walk This Path Alone

The kids had gone home. Jackie had taken them. The Doctor had been torn between wanting to be with the children and wanting to be with Rose. Just in case… Just in case. He'd be there to hold her hand. No matter what the outcome. It was hard to believe that just a few hours before, they'd been a perfectly happy family. The dinner had been in the oven, ready for when Rose got home from work, the boys had been going to camp under the stars and Leanne had come home from school extremely happy because she'd gotten top marks on a project she'd done. And now, now it was all hanging in the balance. The future of their family, the future of their children's happiness all came down to a bag of IV fluid and a blood transfusion. And the Doctor hated it. Gripping Rose's hand tight in his, he took another deep breath. He'd cried a lot since the kids had left. He'd had no one to be strong for once Jackie had taken them home. And for that, he was eternally grateful. Because, inside, he was falling apart.

"Please, Rose." He murmured, squeezing his wife's hand again, not even knowing if she could hear him "Please, don't give up. You've got to keep fighting. You _can't_ give up, you _can't_ leave me! Please!"

He was sobbing again now, but the Doctor didn't care. Most of the Torchwood staff had gone home for the night, leaving only a few medical staff in case they were needed. Donna had dropped by, hugged the Doctor, sat with him a while. Promised to come back the next morning, to see Rose if she'd woken up, and to offer the Doctor a shoulder to cry on if she hadn't. The Doctor really hoped it wouldn't be the latter. He didn't even want to think about how he'd break it to the kids if Rose… If she went.

"Rose, you have to come back to me. You can't leave me and the kids, please! I _cannot_ walk this path alone! I can't live this life without you!"

He knew he was begging by now, knew it was pointless. The IV fluid was steadily dripping into her, as was the blood transfusion. It had been four years since they'd been left on Bad Wolf Bay again, just four years. He'd promised her forever. She couldn't leave him yet, not yet. And with that thought flying around in his head, the Doctor dropped off into an uneasy sleep.

**~StormWolf10~**

The Doctor awoke drowsily. His neck hurt, bent at an odd angle, and light filtered through the window, causing him to make a mental note to get better curtains for their bedroom. He could hear Rose talking, her voice quiet. And he could hear Arthur replying. And suddenly, he was wide awake. The Doctor sat bolt upright, wide-eyed. They were in the Infirmary at Torchwood, Rose had been shot, almost died…. She was grinning at him, tiredly yes, but she was grinning at him. She was looking at him, holding his hand, very much awake and _very. Much. Alive_.

"Rose." The Doctor murmured, a slow grin spreading across his face.

"Hiya," Rose responded quietly, squeezing his hand again.

And then the Doctor lunged forward, kissing his wife soundly on the lips before hugging her awkwardly to him. Arthur was watching, a relieved smile on his face. He'd been more scared than he'd let on, more scared about losing his friend than people had thought.

"She looks to be doing a lot better now," Arthur chipped in, drawing the Doctor's and Rose's attention to him "the blood transfusion was successful."

"Can I go, then?" Rose asked expectantly.

Arthur smirked but shook his head.

"Not yet. I want to give you another transfusion, just to be on the safe side. You're lucky we've got advanced technology here, Rose. You should have died out on the field."

Rose nodded, suddenly sober.

"I know." She replied truthfully "And I _am_ feeling a bit tired… But it's half term next week, I'd promised the kids I'd take them for days out."

Arthur sighed.

"I'm sorry, Rose, but when I _do_ discharge you, it'll be to go straight home and rest. Preferably bed rest, although sitting on the sofa with your leg propped up may be ok. I'll sign you off for a few weeks, sick leave. Doctor's orders. And it may be advisable to have your Mum come round to help you with the kids while Jonathan's at work."

The Doctor nodded, but Rose wrinkled her nose at that.

"Do I have to?" she asked meekly.

"Yes, Rose." The Doctor chipped in before Arthur had the chance "Please? I could have lost you."

Rose took a deep breath, squeezing her husband's hand before reluctantly nodding.

"Ok." She agreed quietly "But can you call Mum? I wanna see the kids."

**~StormWolf10~**

The Doctor had headed off to call Jackie and Pete not long after. They had promised to have the kids there within half an hour and, true to their word, half an hour later, there was a knock on Rose's door. Arthur, who had been asking Rose about adoption as he and Rory had apparently been looking into it, bid them goodbye as Pete came in with Leanne, James, Noah, Tony and Jackie. Almost immediately, Noah crossed to the bed, climbing up and hugging his Mum. Rose was still quite tired thanks to the blood loss, and was propped up with several pillows, but she was more than happy to let Noah snuggle up to her.

"Sorry I ruined your camping night," Rose told her two boys as James crossed over to the bed too.

Noah had already snuggled into Rose's side while James shrugged.

"Doesn't matter." He responded "We can do it another night."

"'M glad you're ok." Leanne chipped in, sitting awkwardly on the edge of the bed and offering Rose a weak smile.

Rose smiled gently at the girl, wishing she could pull her in for a hug, but the two boys seemed unwilling to move. Sensing his wife's dilemma, the Doctor reached for James, lifting the boy onto his lap. Almost immediately, Leanne moved to the vacated space.

"When are you getting discharged?" Jackie asked her daughter suddenly, moving to stand at the foot of the bed as Tony clambered up onto the bed beside Noah.

"Hopefully tomorrow," Rose admitted, nodding.

"I hear Arthur's signing you off for a few weeks?" Pete asked.

Rose nodded again.

"I think when you return, we'll put you in the Research Department for a few weeks. Arthur suggested you might need physiotherapy, and you can't be on the Field Team while that's going on." Pete told his daughter gently.

Rose wrinkled her nose, but hummed in agreement. Moments later, she was being distracted by Noah, tugging on her arm as he proceeded to tell her about how he and Tony had made their own tent with sheets the night before.


	90. Tooth Fairy

**A/N: Gah! I feel so bad, because I've had some lovely reviews from people telling me to add the boy I'd created as it's my story, but I feel bad about not adding a girl… I really don't think I could write one, but I'm trying to come up with an idea on how to include a little girl for Rose and Lea to interact with, without her having to be in it all the time…**

Lungbarrow: Tooth Fairy

"Mummy?"

Rose sighed, keeping her eyes firmly closed. She knew it was a childish thing to do, particularly as a mother to three children, but she couldn't help it. She hoped that, if Noah thought she was asleep, he'd go and find the Doctor in the back garden with James instead.

"Mummy?!"

Clearly not, as the sound of hurried footsteps drew closer, and Rose heard her youngest boy approaching warily.

"Mummy?"

Cracking one eye open, Rose was greeted with the view of Noah stood in front of her, grinning at her toothily. She blinked and pushed herself into a sitting position. She'd been dozing on the sofa, her leg propped up just as Arthur had instructed. She'd been issued crutches, hardly being able to put weight on her left leg without it aching terribly, and the Doctor had taken the week off of work to be with the kids during half term. Rose felt terrible, ruining the kids' half term. Jackie had taken the kids out with her and Tony a couple of days, but the rest of the time they just played at the house. But today, today Leanne had disappeared off out with Naomi, Ollie and Christian, and would be spending the night at Naomi's, while the Doctor had spent most of the day helping the boys build things from their Lego and playing football in the garden. James had wanted to camp outside again, but with Rose struggling to get up and down the stairs, the Doctor had persuaded the boy to postpone it for a few weeks. Looking at Noah, Rose suddenly realised something was different.

"Did your tooth fall out?" Rose asked her son, blinking.

Noah nodded, grinning at his Mum. Rose had known that one of his bottom middle teeth had been wobbly for several weeks now, but it was quite a shock to see the child she regarded as her baby boy stood proudly in front of her with a missing tooth.

"Yeah, look!"

He then proceeded to thrust his hand under Rose's nose, showing the tooth that had fallen out and was now being cupped in his hand.

"Does this mean the tooth fairy will come?" he asked excitedly.

"If you put it under your pillow, yeah!" Rose told the boy with a tired smile "We'll have to see how much you get!"

Again, Noah nodded eagerly. He knew all about the tooth fairy, of course, because James had lost several teeth over the year or so, and Rose knew the boy had eagerly been awaiting the time when he got money from the tooth fairy too.

"Where's Daddy?" Noah asked suddenly "I wanna show him!"

"He's in the garden with James, sweetheart." Rose told her son, carefully swinging her leg off of the sofa and reaching for her crutches "But you'll have to be careful not to drop the tooth- the tooth fairy can't give you money if she can't find it!"

Noah nodded solemnly, and watched his Mum push herself to her feet, sliding her arms into the crutches and limping slowly towards the door.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Don't you dare move," the Doctor told his wife, glaring at her through the gloom as he felt Rose shift towards the edge of the bed.

"But I've got to go and put the money under Noah's pillow. He'll be upset if we don't." Rose told her husband quietly.

"I'll go," he told her, climbing out of bed before pulling Rose carefully back into the bed "Arthur told you to rest. And I don't wanna have to deal with him when he finds out you've been wandering around the house!"

"I only went to the garden!" Rose protested, wide-eyed.

"Yes, but I told you not to move from the sofa. You can barely walk, Rose!" the Doctor pointed out before leaning over and kissing his wife on the forehead "I'll be back in a minute."

Leaving Rose glaring at him from the bed, the Doctor padded out of the bedroom and along to Noah's room. The 50p he was to leave the boy was clutched in his hand, and he slowly opened his youngest son's door, peering round into the room. Noah was fast asleep. Quickly and quietly, the Doctor crossed the carpet before kneeling on the floor. The Doctor carefully slipped his hand under Noah's pillow, quickly locating the boy's tooth that had been wrapped in a wad of loo roll, and replaced it with the shiny 50 pence piece. Noah shifted slightly in the bed but didn't wake. Smiling softly to himself at the sight of his five year old son curled up in bed, the Doctor got to his feet and headed back to his bedroom.


	91. Sleepover

**A/N: New chapter! Again! I've fitted a little girl into the story via Arthur Williamson :)**

Lungbarrow: Sleepover

"You fancy Ollie!"

"No I don't!" Leanne responded quickly, wide-eyed and cheeks flushing in embarrassment.

"Yeah you do! I've seen the way you look at him!" Naomi smirked "You barely took your eyes off him all day!"

Leanne sniffed, looking away and picking at her duvet. She was at Naomi's house for a sleepover after they'd spent the day with Christian and Ollie. It was nearly the end of half-term, a week after Rose had been injured, and Leanne had been somewhat relieved to spend the night at her friend's- her Mum was on crutches, struggling to walk, and the Doctor had been so busy helping Rose that it had been down to Leanne to keep James and Noah occupied. She hadn't minded, she loved playing with her little brothers, even though they could be annoying at times. But by the end of the week, the novelty had been wearing off, and she had escaped to Naomi's for the night. But now, it was beginning to feel like a bad idea.

"Just admit it, Lea! _You_ fancy _Ollie_! You wanna date him!" Naomi continued, grinning devilishly.

"Yeah, well you fancy Christian!" Leanne shot back quickly.

Naomi suddenly went silent, wide-eyed. Both girls just stared at each other, both knowing the other was right. It was Naomi, however, who broke the silence.

"Yeah, but… But Christian doesn't feel the same way about me. Ollie feels the same way about you though."

Leanne snorted, shaking her head.

"Yeah right." She scoffed "If either of us are gonna end up with one of them, it'll be you with Christian."

"Lea, Ollie really cares for you. I mean, _really_." Naomi told her friend, sitting on the blow-up mattress beside Leanne "You should've seen him, before you spoke up about the bullying. And before you got help with the anorexia, he was so, _so_ worried. He kept texting me and Christian, asking us what he should do, whether he should tell your parents or not… He was freaking out so much."

"But so were you and Christian. You were just being good friends." Leanne replied with a shrug, although even she herself doubted the words that had left her mouth.

Naomi shook her head in disbelief.

"The evidence is there, Lea! Right in front of your eyes! How can you not see how he feels about you?" Naomi asked incredulously.

"How can _you_ not see how Christian feels about you?" Leanne countered quietly.

**~StormWolf10~**

The subject of their crushes was then dropped for several hours, before Leanne brought it up again as they lay in their beds in the dark.

"Do you really think Ollie likes me?" she asked uncertainly, voice quiet.

She heard Naomi sigh in the darkness.

"Of course he does, Lea. He doesn't bloody take his eyes off you."

"But how come he's never asked me out?" Leanne asked.

"Because it's Ollie!" Naomi responded, giggling slightly "He's too shy, probably scared you'll say no."

"But I wouldn't!"

"I know you wouldn't, but Ollie doesn't know that, does he?" Naomi pointed out, sitting up in her bed to look at Leanne in the gloom.

"What should I do, then?" Leanne asked, biting her lip.

"How should I know?" Naomi asked "I can't even tell _Christian_ how _I_ feel! You could ask Ollie out, of course."

"I couldn't do that!" Leanne burst out, wide-eyed.

"Then we're pretty much stuffed, aren't we? Why don't you speak to your Mum about it?" Naomi suggested.

Leanne sighed, wanting to say no. But then she realised, maybe Rose was her only option.

"Maybe." Leanne responded softly.


	92. Take Your Daughter To Work Day

**A/N: Ooh, you frustrate me! I love you all dearly, you've reviewed, and favourited, and kept this story going, but so many of you wanted a girl, so… Twins it is! We'll have twins joining, as well as the 'substitute' girl I'd already decided to go with Arthur… Might lead to some interesting scenes actually, particularly when they do away with the music room to create another bedroom…**

Lungbarrow: Take Your Daughter To Work Day

Leanne followed Rose towards the lift, waving at Donna as they passed the reception.

"How long will we be here?" Leanne asked Rose as she fell into step beside her.

Keeping up with Rose wasn't difficult, not by a long shot; she still had a limp despite having returned the crutches. Nonetheless, Arthur was adamant that, with a few more physio sessions, Rose would be back to normal. It had been almost a month since Rose's accident, tech from Torchwood having sped up her recovery time, but she had still been placed in Research for the next two months.

"Until lunchtime," Rose told the girl "or maybe a bit longer if something comes up."

Leanne must have scrunched her nose up at that, because Rose smirked and led her daughter into the lift.

"Don't blame me; your school's the one who wanted your year group to do the 'take your child to work' day." Rose told the girl as she pressed the button for the fourteenth floor.

Leanne sighed, watching the lights on the lift as they made their way up, stopping on floor fourteen. Rose stepped out, leaving Leanne to fall into step behind her, and the girl soon found herself being led down a corridor to a large room. The room was filled with people who were bustling around each other, flitting from computer stations to tables covered in alien tech and maps and blueprints. Snatches of conversation could be heard, such as "Mr Tyler wants that on his desk by four pm", "We need to relay the information to the Tech Team once we've worked out where it came from" and "No, the Tech Team nabbed it. If you wanna analyse it, go speak to them." Leanne blinked as she suddenly realised her Mum was no longer at her side. In fact, Rose had somehow limped her way halfway across the room while Leanne had been gaping.

"Kaylee, have you made any progress on the power fluctuations over at Battersea PowerStation?" Rose asked, already leaning on a table next to a tall brunette woman- presumably, Kaylee.

**~StormWolf10~**

Wide-eyed, Leanne quickly stepped backwards, pressing herself up against the wall as she hastened to get out of the way. The Research Department was hectic; a constant flurry of action, and Leanne felt awkward standing in the middle of the room. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was in the way, standing there like a lemon. She needed the loo, but Rose was limping between tables and computer stations with several other people, discussing maps and charts and computer readouts in hurried tones, her mobile pressed to her ear as she relayed information to a Field Team who was investigating the energy fluctuations, and Lea didn't want to interrupt them. She'd been shocked to say the least that Rose was still on her feet; they'd been there for several hours and Rose hadn't stopped hurrying around since they'd stepped out of the lift. Leanne had always known her parents worked hard, that Torchwood _demanded_ them to work hard, but… She'd never really appreciated what that meant. Her Mum seemed to be a completely different person at work; she wasn't a mother when she was at work, she was Commander Tyler, whether she was injured or not. It suddenly hit Lea that her Mum was the highest-ranking Torchwood employee in the room at that given time. Well, Leanne mused, that explained why everyone was following her orders. And boy was Rose giving them. Rose had suddenly started barking out orders to members of the department, ordering people to call down to the Tech Department, the Field Department, get trackers on the Field Team, call Mr Tyler, alert the Infirmary there might be several casualties coming in…

"Lea!"

Leanne blinked at the sound of her name, confused. She looked over to see Rose waving her over. Still confused, she hurried over to her Mum.

"Yeah?"

"I need you to read these co-ordinates out to me," Rose told her, handing her a piece of paper with a list of co-ordinates as she steered her daughter over to a computer station.

Leanne nodded, and watched as Rose slid into the chair at the computer, fingers poised and ready to type.

"(0, 3), (0, 9), (4, 5)…" Leanne began, frowning.

The buzz of the rest of the room seemed to phase out, and all Leanne could hear was her Mum typing, all she could see was Rose's passive face as she concentrated on what she was typing, not what was going on in the rest of the room.

"What's this for, Mum?" Lea asked suddenly.

"Co-ordinates. Where the Field Team are in relation to the energy fluctuations." Rose responded, not looking up "Carry on."

Clearing her throat, Leanne nodded and continued reading.

"(4, 7), (6, 2)…"

**~StormWolf10~ **

"Ok," Rose announced into the earpiece where she was talking to the Field Team at Battersea PowerStation "We've managed to pinpoint the fluctuations at the PowerStation. One is five feet inside the door, one is twelve feet west of that, and the other one is sixteen feet north-east. The other ones are smaller, but these are the three biggest. You'll have to detonate the Time Grenade exactly in the middle of the three of them, and once they've been closed, the smaller ones will close too."

Leanne couldn't hear what was being said on the other end of the line, but she knew what her Mum was telling them; they had to detonate a grenade and run, or else they would be caught in the energy blast when the power fluctuations closed up. Lea shuddered to think what would happen if any of the poor agents got caught up in it. She felt even worse when she realised that this, _this_ was what her parents did for a living, they were on the Field Teams, it could have easily been one of them who'd been sent out to do with this… And then, before Leanne's eyes, the monitor that had been tracking the position of the Field Team blinked, stuttered and shut down. Everyone in the room went silent, and Leanne looked around to see everyone staring at the monitor in silence, hoping, praying… She didn't have to be an expert to know that this was the same scene right across Torchwood, throughout several different departments.

"Commander Lewisham? Do you read me?" Rose asked into the earpiece, pressing it closer to her ear as one hand tapped at the keyboard in front of her.

The computer that had switched off suddenly switched to static, all blurred lines and buzzing. And then, much to everyone's relief, it blinked back into life. At the exact same moment, Rose let out a relieved smile, and Leanne knew that the Field Team had responded. From the look on Rose's face, Lea hoped it meant everyone was well. Rose sighed, slumping back in the chair and rubbing her eyes tiredly, a relieved smile on her face.

"That's a wrap, guys." Rose spoke up after a few moments "They're all out and on their way back."

Leanne smiled, but stepped back slightly, watching as Rose pushed herself up out of the chair and began helping to tidy up all the paperwork from the mission. Lea suddenly found herself seeing her Mum, her _parents_ in a whole new light, as she watched Rose smile and laugh with the other Torchwood workers as they tidied up. She had no idea how her parents remained so relaxed and calm when they were at home, Lea was certain it must terrify them knowing that while one of them was at home, the other was out setting off Time Grenades and capturing aliens… Having seen what happened at Torchwood in just half a day suddenly made Leanne realise that she was… surprised. She was surprised that one of her parents hadn't been injured sooner, surprised that they continued working in such a dangerous job with three children, surprised that her Dad and Granddad hadn't objected to Rose returning to work at Torchwood despite almost dying… Suddenly, Leanne had so much more admiration for her parents. And so much more fear…


	93. That Maternal Feeling

**A/N: I've done it! I've gotten a little girl into the story! Granted, they won't be with the Doctor and Rose all the time, as she's not their kid, but it can lead to babysitting and stuff, that will lend itself to sweet scenes for Rose and Lea, and the other kids that I promised (the Doctor's and Rose's twins) are coming in a few chapters after the angsty stuff…**

**Disclaimer: I just own the kids (but not Tony). I own Rory Campbell too, sort of… He's based on my friend. Who I don't own... Same goes for Ollie.**

Lungbarrow: That Maternal Feeling

Rose blinked, staring at the two tiny little humans in front of her. The people blinked their big blue eyes at her in unison, watching her carefully. The small human beings- twins, a boy and a girl- had just officially become the adopted son and daughter of Arthur Williamson and Rory Campbell.

"They're… They're really sweet, Arthur," Rose told her friend after a few moments, offering her friend a- slightly shaky- grin.

Arthur, however, didn't see Rose's smile waver, as he only had eyes for his son. Rory didn't notice either, as he cuddled his daughter to him.

"I know, right?" Arthur grinned "Our own little boy and girl. I don't think me and Rory really ever saw ourselves as parents, but, well, we spent so much time with your three that things just sort of… snowballed."

Rose gave her friend another tight smile, watching as her own three adopted children kicked a ball around in the garden. She jumped as she felt an arm come around her, and saw her husband standing beside her, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Do they have names, then?" the Doctor asked, grinning at the baby boy in Arthur's arms.

Arthur nodded his head, but it was Rory who replied, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Finlay and Freya." Rory replied with a grin.

"Finlay and Freya Campbell-Williamson," the Doctor mused with a grin.

"Yeah," Arthur chipped in, still staring at his son, who was wriggling and kicking in his arms "they're gonna be right little terrors, though. They still don't sleep through the night."

"Oh, give them time." The Doctor announced "Rose, didn't you say your brother didn't sleep through the night until he was about ten months old?"

Rose nodded, although she wasn't really paying attention to the conversation. She hadn't taken her eyes off of the twins.

"Oh, great," Rory mock-sighed with a smile "another four months of them crying through the night!"

**~StormWolf10~**

Not long later, Rory and Arthur left with the twins, as they'd only dropped by to introduce the Doctor and Rose and the kids to their new baby boy and girl. Leanne had tried to act like she didn't care the whole time they were there, and James and Noah had been disappointed that they didn't do anything more than kick and stare at them. And so, once Arthur and Rory had left, the children disappeared off again until their parents called them for dinner.

"I don't want waffles!" Noah complained as his dinner was set in front of him.

"Well that's what you've got," the Doctor told his son sternly, handing James his dinner "so either eat it, or go without."

Noah pouted, and reluctantly began eating his food. Silence filled the air, with the steady clattering of cutlery as the family ate their dinner. James was wolfing his food down, while Noah was still pouting, and Leanne was eating slowly. Lea was slowly and steadily regaining the weight she'd lost now, but still the thought of eating a full dinner made her queasy. Soon, the meal was over, and as the Doctor and Rose gathered up the plates, James and Noah ran off to carry on playing with their toys.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Are you alright?"

Rose blinked, and looked up as her husband climbed into bed beside her. She offered him a weak smile and nodded.

"Rose," the Doctor urged gently, raising an eyebrow at her "what's going on?"

"Nothing. I'm fine." Rose replied, voice quiet.

However, it was clear she wasn't fine.

"You've been acting weird ever since Arthur and Rory brought Finlay and Freya to see us." The Doctor pointed out gently "You knew they were looking into adoption, they told us a few weeks back. It wasn't a surprise."

"I know," Rose sighed, flopping back against her pillows "but… It… It was faster than I thought it would be. The adoption. I mean, it took months for us to adopt Lea and James, and I thought… I thought I'd have more time to adjust."

The Doctor sighed, tugging Rose closer to him.

"I _know_ it's awkward," he began softly "but they're our friends, as much as seeing them with the twins hurts, we can't just abandon them. And we can't deny them of the chance to have kids, either. They didn't do that to us when we adopted Noah."

But it wasn't just the shock, the speed of it, Rose realised. She felt… betrayed. She had three wonderful kids she wouldn't swap for anything, but she still felt like Arthur had betrayed her friendship, had paraded his and Rory's babies in front of her, even knowing that Rose had miscarried two pregnancies, had never had the chance to do what Rory and Arthur were doing. She'd never got to do three am feeds, and nappy changes, and watching the Doctor trying to shush their baby back to sleep. And she felt robbed of that. The Doctor wiped at her cheeks gently, and it was then that Rose realised she was silently crying.

"Rose?" the Doctor murmured "This has really upset you, hasn't it?"

Rose merely sniffed and nodded.

"I… It's just made me realise… What we're missin'."

"Rose, we've got three beautiful children, we're not missing out on anything."

"We are, though!" Rose cried suddenly, pulling away to look at her husband "All of it, the nappy changes, the potty training, the night time feeds!"

The Doctor merely blinked, watching as his wife suddenly slumped. The next thing she said didn't shock him in the slightest.

"I want a baby."

"Rose, this isn't something we can just decide at eleven o'clock at night." The Doctor reminded his wife gently "I get it, I really do. Seeing Rory and Arthur with Finlay and Freya made you feel all broody, you've got that maternal feeling, and I can't say I blame you. But if we're going to look into adopting a baby, we need to talk to the kids first. Leanne's almost fourteen; she may not be keen on the idea. And while James might not mind, Noah will be a little put-out about not being the baby of the family anymore. And it would mean we'd have to put your brother in James' or Noah's room when he sleeps over, as we'd need his room for the baby."

The Doctor smiled gently, but Rose was crying again, shaking her head as more tears fell.

"You don't get it!" she told him thickly through her tears, meeting his eyes "You're not listenin'!"

"I _am_ listening, Rose," the Doctor told her gently, frowning as he desperately tried to understand why his wife was so distraught.

"You're not! I _want_ a _baby_! I don't want to adopt, I don't _want_ to do that! I want us to have a baby, one that's _ours_, biologically! But that's not going to happen, I know, and I'm being stupid, but…" Rose looked away for a few moments, swallowing, before continuing "It's not _fair_! Why did this have to happen to _us_?"

The Doctor swallowed heavily, feeling Rose's eyes on him, wide, imploring, desperate for an answer.

"I mean, we can't even use a bloody _surrogate_, because my body went and buggered up, and it's all my fault! I mean, not being able to carry the baby, I could deal with that, maybe, if it was _our_ baby. But the fact that not even a _surrogate_ would work…"

"Rose-" the Doctor began carefully, cutting in.

But Rose interrupted him again.

"And I feel so, _so_ guilty! Because it's not like we don't have kids, we have three of them, and I love them _so_ much, but they're not _ours_! Even with Noah, even though he was three when we adopted him… We didn't get to do the seeing him take his first steps and the baby food and the teething, and I _want to do that_!

And then, after a pause, Rose shocked her husband again.

"I'm sorry."

"What've you got to be sorry for, Rose?" the Doctor asked in confusion, cupping her cheek gently.

"'S all my fault." She muttered, allowing the Doctor to pull her in for another hug "I'm the reason we can't have kids."

"I'm the one who should be apologising, Rose." The Doctor murmured, rubbing her back.

He felt Rose pull away slightly at that, and he looked down to see her frowning at him in confusion.

"Why?" she asked, quietly "'S not like you caused it."

"You didn't either, Rose." The Doctor pointed out softly "But… But if I were still Time Lord… If I had the TARDIS…"

"We wouldn't be together." Rose pointed out.

The Doctor sniffed and shrugged.

"True, maybe we wouldn't." he admitted before continuing "But… If it had been caused by alien radiation, or by some chemical, or when you'd absorbed the time vortex… I could fix that, I could make it right again, Rose! But it's not, and I feel so, _so_ useless! I'm meant to be a Doctor, I should be able to help you, but there's nothing I can _do_ to fix this! And I'm so, _so_ sorry."

They sat in silence for a minute or so, before Rose broke the silence.

"We're a right pair, aren't we?" she asked quietly, her lips quirking into a small, watery smile "Always wanting what we can't have."

The Doctor smiled softly back in reply, and kissed Rose on the forehead.

"How about we continue this tomorrow, yeah? We're both tired and wound up, and neither of us are thinking straight." The Doctor suggested gently.

Rose nodded, and reluctantly pulled away from her husband so the pair of them could settle beneath the covers. The Doctor switched the lamp off and they lay, staring into the darkness.

"We'll sort this, Rose." The Doctor murmured "I promise."


	94. Research

**A/N: Super long, super angsty chapter for you :) All very sad and stuff… Yeah… The next chapter is when the twins are meant to be introduced, but I may add another chapter or two in about Lea, James and Noah. What do you think?**

Lungbarrow: Research

Leanne, James and Noah sat at the dining table in silence. For the past few weeks, they'd noticed their parents had been acting… strangely. It had been ever since Arthur and Rory had brought Finlay and Freya round, but the children couldn't quite work out what had happened to cause their parents to act this oddly. The Doctor was always either at work or in his office, only coming out for meal times and to get the boys ready for bed, while Rose just seemed… quiet and distant. A far cry from the woman Leanne had watched save an entire Field Team whilst sat at a computer. She wasn't Commander Tyler, she… She was broken. The Doctor and Rose tried to act normal, all fake smiles and laughter around the children, but not even Noah was falling for it. They were too scared to ask what was going on, and Leanne secretly wondered whether this was what happened just before parents got divorced.

"Right," Rose announced to the children with a forced smile "who's for pudding?"

**~StormWolf10~**

It hadn't taking Leanne long to realise that the only time her parents were actually talking was when she, James and Noah were in bed. It seemed that James had figured it out too, as, when she sneaked out to listen up the top of the stairs on Thursday night, she found her younger brother already there.

"How long have you been here?" Leanne whispered to her brother, wide-eyed.

"A while." James responded, tone equally as hushed.

"Have you heard shouting?"

James shook his head.

"No. I was expecting all yelling and smashing furniture and stuff." He told his sister "Instead, they're just talking really quietly."

Leanne frowned, and edged slightly closer to the edge of the stairs. She could just about make out her parents' hushed voices from the front room.

"When will we tell the kids?" Rose asked, her tone clearly worried.

"Not yet. They'll need time to adjust if we find a solution and go through with it." The Doctor responded.

Leanne wanted to run downstairs, to hug them and beg them not to split up. But she knew that wouldn't be sensible. Instead, she straightened up, resigned. James frowned at his sister in confusion, as he took her offered hand and stood up.

"Where're we going?" he asked as he let his older sister lead him down the corridor.

Leanne didn't respond, but she stopped outside Noah's bedroom door and pushed it open carefully. She tugged James into the room, the pair of them padding across the carpet. As soon as Lea slipped under the duvet, James knew what she was doing and crawled in on the other side of Noah. It was a squeeze, but Noah didn't stir. They needed to be close to each other. And that was how Rose found them the next morning, her three children curled up beneath Noah's Toy Story duvet.

**~StormWolf10~**

The Doctor sighed in frustration, shoving the computer keyboard away from him and across the desk. He'd holed himself up in his study, researching any possible way Rose could have a baby and carry it to full term. But everything he'd found- including the stuff he'd hacked into at Torchwood- clearly stated that Rose's… _condition_ couldn't be altered. Not even with alien technology. It was something that was always going to happen to her, whether she'd ever stepped inside the TARDIS or not. It had been determined since her birth. But that didn't make it any easier. The Doctor rubbed his hands over his eyes, wondering how he was going to break this to his wife. Here he was, with his massive Time Lord brain- trapped in a human body, yes, but still every bit as magnificent as ever- and he couldn't even make his wife pregnant. He grimaced at that. It didn't sound right, made it sound like he had a… _problem_. Which he didn't. He was perfectly fine; it was everything on Rose's end that was going wrong. With a groan of frustration, the Doctor leant forward, leaning on his desk. That didn't sound right either; it made it sound like he was blaming Rose, which he wasn't. He never could.

The worst part of it was that it was biological, the Doctor decided. In fact, he'd much rather it had been caused by something _he'd_ done, or somewhere he'd taken Rose. Because then, _then_, she could scream at him and shout at him and slap him, and he could apologise, and she could cry and call him names, and he would readily accept the blame. But, the problem was, Rose had no one she could scream and shout at, because it hadn't been caused by a physical being, not really. It had been in the foundations of her genetic makeup, in the chromosomes that made her who she was. It had been factored into her life since birth, whether she lived in London or among the stars. And that hurt the Doctor even more. If _he'd_ caused it, if it had been the result of the poison she'd ingested such a long time ago on a jailbreak gone wrong, or when she'd absorbed the time vortex and become the Bad Wolf, or a run-in with angry tribes-folk a thousand years into their future, _he could fix it_. He could spend hours and hours in the Torchwood labs, creating healing balms and salves, medicines in tablets and injections, talk Rose through what was happening, and reassure her that he would make it better. He wouldn't be able to go back, change what had happened or stop her from getting hurt, but he could make it better. But this, _this_ was out of his hands. Predetermined. Set in stone. Torchwood was full of alien technology and medicine and equipment all salvaged from crashed spacecrafts, they had technology they could use for weapons, for healing, for helping, and the Doctor was the only living human Time Lord metacrisis, with infinite wisdom above and beyond his apparent age, but even that wouldn't be enough to help Rose. It made him feel so helpless, like he'd told Rose just a few weeks previously, that all he could do was sit on the sidelines and watch.

"Dad?"

The Doctor looked up at the sound of his youngest son's voice coming through the door. Frowning, he glanced at the clock on his computer. Five o'clock. The kids would be expecting their dinner. Cursing, the Doctor hurried over to the door, flinging it open and plastering on a fake smile for the five year old on the other side, although he wasn't sure the smile would fool even Noah.

"Noah! I was just coming, buddy. What do you want for your dinner?"

Noah opened his mouth, but the Doctor continued talking as he scooped him into his arms.

"No, no hang on, we'll have to ask your brother and sister."

"Dad, Lea's-"

"That's great, buddy, let me just sort dinner out and you can tell me all about it."

By now, they were halfway down the stairs, Noah protesting and squirming in his arms.

"No, Dad! You're not listening!"

"Of course I am, buddy!" the Doctor announced "I just need to sort out dinner-"

The Doctor stopped dead in the doorway to the kitchen. Leanne was there, serving up three lots of oven chips and fish fingers. The Doctor blinked.

"Oh," Leanne said, looking up "good. Noah told you I'd taken care of dinner, right?"

The Doctor blinked.

"He wouldn't listen to me!" Noah pouted, wriggling out of his Dad's grip and sliding to the floor.

Before Leanne could form a response, Noah had grabbed his plate of food and scuttled off to the dining room. James was watching his Dad nervously, and Leanne- casting a significant look at the Doctor- nudged her brother towards the dining room.

**~StormWolf10~**

"What about IVF?"

The Doctor blinked at his wife and took a deep breath, leaning forward and grasping her hands in his own.

"Rose, it won't work. It's not the conceiving that's a problem, it's the carrying to term. Usually a weakened cervix can be dealt with, but Doctor Howell explained it all to us before, remember? The fact that you lost not one but two foetuses in the first trimester of your pregnancies means that your cervix would be too weak even with treatment."

"Then what about surrogacy?" Rose asked, although she sounded less keen on the idea. It seemed she was just clutching at straws now.

The Doctor had known that Rose hadn't been particularly keen on surrogacy the first time, and was almost certain she'd be less keen this time seeing as she wanted the whole experience of having a baby, of being pregnant. So, he felt somewhat relieved at what he had to tell her.

"We know the first two pregnancies, no matter how brief, somewhat… altered your ovaries. Clearly, I'm a little more Time Lord than we thought, although I have a human lifespan. Like Doctor Howell explained before, there's too much of a risk with a surrogate."

"But the baby would be human!" Rose argued, tears beginning to form in her eyes as every chance of her having a baby slipped away.

"Yes it would," the Doctor agreed gently "but even though the baby would be human, and the surrogate would have your fertilised egg implanted in her womb, there's a risk of the small percent of Time Lord DNA… _bleeding out_, if you will. It would, effectively, poison the surrogate's ovaries, and that would take more than some Torchwood-issue Retcon to cover it up."

"So that's it?" Rose asked quietly, suddenly pulling her hands away and pushing herself to her feet "We can't have a baby?"

The Doctor sighed.

"Rose, you knew it was a long shot." He pointed out softly "It was a stab in the dark. I'm sorry it didn't work out, but… Well, we kind of expected that, didn't we?"

The Doctor stood, reaching for his wife, but Rose stepped back quickly.

"Don't. Just… Don't. I think I need some time alone. You can sleep in Tony's room tonight." Rose told him before hurrying out of the room.

The Doctor sighed and watched as his wife disappeared up the stairs. Neither of them heard Leanne's bedroom door click shut.


	95. Leanne and James and Noah

**A/N: Because the kids need an explanation, and the Doctor and Rose need a blessing…..**

Lungbarrow: Leanne and James and Noah

The Doctor took a deep breath, trying to push the memory of the last time he'd had to do something like this out of his mind. His three wonderful, amazing children were sat on the sofa, watching him expectantly. At least this time he wouldn't be telling them that their mother had almost died. Just that she was, well…. Really miserable. Depressed. Rose was sat on the other sofa, silent, leaving him to do the talking. Once the children had been told, they would be going to Pete's and Jackie's to explain to them what had happened; Jackie had been on the phone in hysterics because she hadn't seen or heard from them for several days, and several Torchwood agents had commented to Pete about how Rose had looked 'depressed'.

"Now," the Doctor began carefully, hoping he didn't look as scared as he felt "your Mum and I have something we need to tell you."

"You're getting divorced, aren't you?" Leanne asked dully.

The Doctor blinked, and Rose sat up, frowning at that.

"Why'd you say that?" Rose asked, becoming directly involved in a conversation for the first time in several hours; she hadn't even talked much when she'd been playing with James and Noah.

"Well, you're not talking to one another," Leanne pointed out with a shrug "and we know you've been, uh, discussing things after we went to bed. And I heard you, the other day, you told Dad not to touch you."

Rose closed her eyes at that, sighing. She hadn't realised that the kids had heard their late night conversations. What was worse, they didn't seem to have heard all of it, just snatches that had been taken out of context. She supposed it _must_ have sounded like they were splitting up, all those secrets and hushed voices and strained conversations. And Rose also felt ridiculously childish. She was mother to three children, and yet she'd blanked them out and ignored them and wallowed in her own self-pity.

"We're sorry, sweetheart." Rose told them quietly, surprising everyone else in the room when she moved from her position on the sofa to sit beside the Doctor on the floor "We're not getting divorced, we… It's more complicated than that."

The children just frowned at that, not understanding.

"As you know," the Doctor took over "the reason your Mum and I adopted you three is because we can't have children of our own. However, recently, we realised that we perhaps hadn't explored every different opportunity that would allow us to have our own baby, particularly after seeing Arthur and Rory with Finlay and Freya. So we looked into it, and-"

"Are you getting rid of us?" James asked quietly, face set in a vulnerable sort of frown.

"No! No, not at all!" the Doctor responded quickly, shaking his head as Rose voiced similar words "We looked into it, but then realised it wasn't possible. That's… That's why we've, well, why we haven't been very good parents recently. At first it was because I was spending a lot of time looking into things and doing research and stuff, and your Mum didn't want to say anything that might upset you. And then, after we found out, well… We were sad. Upset. We've got you three, and we love you so much, but we were still disappointed."

Leanne nodded slightly in understanding, but the two boys just looked confused. Rose couldn't help but smile a little at that.

"You'll understand when you're older." Rose told the boy gently.

"So you're _not_ getting rid of us?" James asked slowly.

The Doctor and Rose shook their heads.

"Nope, you're stuck with us!" the Doctor joked with a smile.

The two boys laughed at that, but Leanne looked uneasy.

"That's not it though, is it?" she asked Rose quietly.

The two adults sobered immediately, and Rose blinked.

"I… No." Rose admitted "We… We wanted to ask you three something."

As she spoke, Rose subconsciously reached for her husband's hand, squeezing it tight.

"We were wondering if you would object to us adopting again." The Doctor finished, watching the three children carefully.

"How old would they be?" Noah piped up, a frown already forming on his face.

"Younger than you, sweetheart," Rose told the boy, knowing it would do no good to lie. They'd already kept too many secrets from them as it was "we were thinking of adopting a baby."

Noah blinked, and then looked up at James and Leanne. He then returned his gaze to his parents and, in a surprisingly grown-up voice, spoke.

"I think we need to talk about this."

**~StormWolf10~**

The Doctor and Rose sat in the middle of the floor, the Doctor idly pushing one of Noah's toy cars up and down the hardwood floor.

"How long does it take three kids to discuss whether they want a new sibling or not?" Rose joked quietly.

The Doctor could hear the slight tremor in his wife's voice, dreaded to think what would happen if Noah decided he wanted to stay the youngest in the family, if the children decided they wanted it to just be the three of them, no baby waking them in the middle of the night. It would break Rose's heart. It would break his too, the Doctor decided, only his would be more silent. So, he reached for Rose's hand, squeezing it reassuringly before casting her a small smile.

"We'll need to go to your parents' this afternoon," the Doctor reminded Rose calmly "explain what's been going on."

Rose nodded, but didn't reply. And then, Leanne came back into the room, followed by James and Noah. They sat down on the sofa again and surveyed their parents in silence for several moments.

"Well?" the Doctor prompted, hoping they didn't pick up on how nervous he and Rose were.

It was Leanne who spoke.

"Noah's sceptical." She admitted "Both me and James are older than him, as is Tony, so he doesn't know what it's like to have a baby around. James and I are a bit worried too."

The Doctor swallowed hard, and felt Rose squeeze his hand tight.

"However," Leanne continued with a small smile "we figured we could get it down to three promises you two have to keep."

"Anything." Rose said immediately, wide-eyed.

"Noah wanted you to promise that you don't let the new kid break or chew or destroy any of his toys or whatever,"

The Doctor grinned at that. Noah was possessive over his toy cars, and got very frustrated if the paint so much as chipped.

"James wanted you to promise that you'll take time out to still teach him about stars." Lea continued "And I ask you to just _please_ make sure the new kid doesn't cry too much and keep us awake at night!"

The Doctor and Rose blinked.

"That's… That's it?" Rose asked incredulously.

The three children nodded, all grinning.

"You do realise that the new child will most likely be less than a year old, right?" the Doctor asked warily.

Again, they nodded.

"We… We were expecting you to protest more," Rose admitted sheepishly "say no. Not want a baby in the house and have to avoid getting hit by food at dinnertime and stuff."

"Well," Leanne replied with a grin, head cocked to one side "we _did_ consider all that stuff. But then we realised something. We _would_ like to not be hit by baby food at meal times, or be able to sleep all night without a screaming baby wake us. But, above that, we would like you guys to be happy."

The Doctor and Rose grinned, speechless. The three children in front of them may not biologically be theirs, but they'd raised them right.


	96. Pete and Jackie and Tony

**A/N: And things get a little awkward…**

Lungbarrow: Pete and Jackie and Tony

"Oh, Rose," Jackie sighed as her daughter finished explaining about the research she and the Doctor had been doing "you _knew_ it wasn't a possibility, not really."

"Yeah, I know, it's just… We had to try." Rose nodded, taking a deep breath.

Even after the revelations of that morning, even after their children had given them their blessing to look into adopting a baby, it still hurt Rose that she couldn't have a baby that was biologically hers.

"But," the Doctor piped up quickly "we had a talk with the kids. About adopting."

Jackie and Pete blinked. Even Tony looked up in confusion from where he'd been playing on the floor with James, Lea and Noah.

"What? Why?" Jackie asked in confusion.

"Because Mummy and Daddy want a baby." Noah announced, frowning at his Gran.

"Well, yes, but…" Jackie began.

"I think what your Mother's trying to say, Rose, is do you really think it's wise to adopt another child? You have the three of them" Pete nodded at Lea, James and Noah who were all watching the discussion carefully "already, and a baby takes a lot of work."

"I know. I remember from when Tony was little." Rose responded calmly "It's not something we just jumped into, Dad, the Doctor and I have discussed it."

"But who'll look after the baby? I mean, most of the week it's fine, but you'll have to change your hours on a Wednesday; Rose will have to leave earlier to get home and stay with the baby and you, Doctor, will get in late." Jackie pointed out, almost smug.

"Also, if you do adopt a young baby, you'll be up half the night. I don't want you falling asleep at work," Pete told them seriously "and I don't think maternity leave works for people who've adopted."

Rose gaped. She'd known her parents would be sceptical, but she hadn't realised that her Father would virtually give them an ultimatum over their jobs.

"What are you saying, Pete?" the Doctor asked.

Clearly, the Doctor was on the same wavelength as Rose.

"I'm saying that one of you will have to give up your job. Either that, or you'll have to hire a Nanny." Pete answered calmly.

"And don't try getting me to look after the baby!" Jackie added, arms folded.

To say the Doctor and Rose were stunned was an understatement. However, before either of them could think of a reply, Leanne had started ranting.

"How can you just say that? You're supposed to be Mum's parents, _our_ Grandparents! You're meant to be happy for them! They asked us for our opinion on the matter because _we_ were the ones they were scared would reject the idea. But me and James and Noah talked through it, and we knew how upset Mum and Dad have been for the past few weeks, and we wanted to make them happy! But you two… I can't believe you virtually just sacked one of them over this, Granddad! I've seen the work they do at Torchwood, the work Mum does… It scared the hell out of me, seeing what they do for a living, how much danger they put themselves in to protect us, to protect the planet… They risk their lives every day at Torchwood and this is how you thank them? Tell them that if they want a baby one of them will have to resign? It's ridiculous!"

And with that, Leanne was on her feet and storming out the room.

**~StormWolf10~**

"So Rose and the Doctor are adopting another kid?" Tony asked, wide-eyed.

James and Noah nodded. The three boys had escaped to the tree house not long after the Doctor had hurried off to find Leanne and Rose and Jackie began arguing. The Spring breeze swept into the open door of the tree house, causing Noah to shiver and move further away from the entrance.

"Yeah, we don't know when though." James replied "Apparently it takes _ages_!"

"D'you want a boy or a girl?" Tony asked eagerly.

"A girl!" Noah yelled just as James announced "Boy! Definitely."

The two brothers then scowled at one another.

"Why do you want a little sister?" James asked, frowning at Noah.

"Because then she won't steal my toy cars!" Noah replied "Why do _you_ want a brother? You've got me!"

"Because then, when the baby's old enough, we can play football. You and the new baby brother, and me and Dad. Or you and Dad and me and the new baby brother. I don't mind." James shrugged.

"Oh yeah!" Noah realised, face lighting up.

"You're lucky!" Tony announced to the two brothers, who were now laughing in delight.

"Why?" James and Noah chorused, frowning.

"Because you have each other to play with." Tony told them simply "Rose used to play with me, and then her and the Doctor when he came, but then they moved. I've got Marmalade, but sometimes he scratches if he doesn't want to play. And Dad's always working. Mum never seems to have much time to play either."

Tony's eyes suddenly went wide.

"Does this mean I'm losing my bedroom at yours?"

James blinked and shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe. You don't come round that much anymore anyway." He pointed out.

Tony nodded, dejected.

"But you can come round more!" Noah announced, seeing that Tony was upset "And we can camp in the garden! Or, if it's raining, we'll make a tent in my bedroom!"

Tony brightened immediately at that, nodding eagerly. Then suddenly, Noah leant over, tapping Tony on the arm.

"Tag! You're it!" the boy announced happily, already scrambling out the tree house.

James blinked, and quickly followed his brother before Tony could even react.


	97. Felix and Alexis

**A/N: Well, here we are. The last batch of kids the Doctor and Rose will adopt…. Read and review!**

Lungbarrow: Felix and Alexis

The Doctor knocked on the front door, not entirely sure what to expect. To his right was Rose, but to his left was a social worker. The two previous times they had adopted children, they'd gone to the Children's home, but of course, this time they would be adopting a _baby_. Well, bab_ies_. At some point after they'd contacted the social worker, they'd gotten themselves roped into visiting infant twins at their foster home. It would mean that the Doctor and Rose would have to rearrange either the study or the music room, but they didn't mind- although Leanne had been a little put-out about losing the music room; the Doctor had bought a second-hand electric guitar a while back, and Ollie had let Lea keep his old one, meaning the Doctor could teach Leanne how to play the instrument more. No, what they did mind was that twins meant _two_. Two babies. Two lots of night-time feedings, two lots of dirty nappies and two highchairs and two pushchairs, and, well, two of _everything_. But it was all so perfect. The twins they were visiting were a boy and a girl, just turned three months old. The Doctor and Rose had already discussed it with Leanne, James and Noah, and although they were a little unsure about having two babies in the house rather than the preferred one, they'd ultimately been rather excited. Plus, it meant that James and Noah would get the baby brother they wanted to play football with (although that wouldn't be for some time), and Leanne would no longer be the only girl (something she'd never complained about, but the Doctor and Rose quietly thought it bothered her a bit). Just then, the door opened, revealing a smiley, middle-aged woman with straight black hair.

"Oh, hello! You must be the couple looking to adopt the twins!" the woman announced to the Doctor and Rose "I'm Sarah."

The Doctor and Rose introduced themselves and shook Sarah's hand, and soon found themselves being ushered into the house. The social worker, who had been working with Sarah about the twins since the woman had fostered them two months ago, began talking almost immediately.

"Now," the social worker- who the Doctor was fairly certain was called Becca? Brittany? Something beginning with 'B'- "Jonathan and Rose already have three children, so we'll need to work out a few days when they can have the twins with them so that their children get used to them. I'm thinking once or twice for just days, and then a couple of weekends so the children get used to having two young babies in the house."

The Doctor and Rose nodded immediately, as did Sarah, who ushered them into the front room.

"That sounds like a great idea." Sarah agreed "The twins are just in here."

Sure enough, when they entered the sitting room, there were two Moses baskets on the floor near the sofa, the twins fast asleep. Quietly, the Doctor and Rose crossed to the sofa, and Sarah watched them, smiling.

"You can pick them up if you want," Sarah told them "they're almost due their next feed anyway."

Rose nodded, watching as Sarah disappeared into the kitchen while the social worker took a seat in an armchair opposite them.

**~StormWolf10~**

Fifteen minutes later, Rose was cradling the tiny baby girl in her arms, bottle-feeding her. She'd known that twins were born smaller than average babies, but she was still shocked at how small they were. Granted, Arthur and Rory's twins were twice the age- no, she corrected herself, _more_ than twice the age now. They were, what? Seven months? Seven and a half months old?- of these two, but she was still shocked. The Doctor had been more shocked though, not about the size of the babies, but that they were ginger. Both babies had blue eyes and ginger hair, as well as freckles, and Rose had wondered for a brief moment whether her husband would just glare at the babies, like he'd done with Tony's cat.

"So they were just brought into the hospital?" the Doctor asked, frowning as he fed the little boy, who was staring up at him with wide blue eyes.

The social worker- Becky! That was her name, Becky!- nodded, sighing.

"They were only a few hours old at most, they'd been found in a cardboard box. No identification, nothing to trace them back to their parents. They were just… discarded. They didn't even have names until the nurses named them." Becky explained, before adding "And you can change their names, if you want."

"What _are_ their names?" Rose asked, trying to ignore the bubble of anger that had rose up inside her at the thought of someone just abandoning two defenceless babies when there were people like her who would love to have a child of their own but couldn't.

"The boy was named Felix, and the girl was named Alexis." Sarah chipped in with a small smile.

Rose looked down at the little girl in her arms.

"Alexis." She murmured thoughtfully "Alexis Lungbarrow. Suits her."

It was then that Rose looked to her husband, but he just smiled and nodded.

"Felix and Alexis Lungbarrow." He agreed with a grin "I think we're keeping the names."

**~StormWolf10~**

Two hours later, the Doctor and Rose were forced to say goodbye to the twins. It had been arranged, however, that they could actually have the twins with them, officially adopted, in just under two months. This meant it would be a bit of a rush to get Leanne, James and Noah settled with the twins, but it would be worth it. The Doctor had taken a couple of photos of the twins already, so that James and Noah- although, particularly Noah- could understand that the twins were small and that they'd have to be very careful not to hurt them when they first move in with them. As the Doctor slid into the car, however, he glanced at Rose. She was smiling blissfully, oblivious that she was being watched. And the Doctor couldn't help but grin.


	98. The Aquarium

**A/N: My god! I was looking up double prams/pushchairs just to get the idea of the size of them to write this chapter, and I almost yelled "How much?" when I saw the prices… That would have been difficult to explain to my Dad!**

Lungbarrow: The Aquarium

Noah blinked, staring at the little boy to his right. And then, silently, he looked at the little girl to his left. Both babies were sleeping, oblivious to the fact the five year old was staring at him.

"They don't do much." Noah told his Dad quietly.

The Doctor chuckled, flashing Noah a smile as he finished strapping Alexis' car seat into the car.

"No, I suppose not." He replied softly "But they'll get bigger. And you'll have to help me and your Mum, ok?"

Noah nodded eagerly, sitting a little straighter in his seat. Although he had been a little sceptical at first about not being youngest- particularly when finding out they were twin babies-, but Noah had soon warmed to the idea when Rose and the Doctor had explained that he'd have to help them and teach the twins stuff when they got older. It seemed that Noah was eager to prove to his parents just how sensible and grown up he could be around the twins. James was happy to help out too, but Leanne seemed a little more reluctant. The two oldest children were in the back of the car, the double pram for the twins folded up and wedged between the two fold-down seats Lea and James were on. The Doctor and Rose had quickly had to sell their previous car, swapping it for a seven-seater that they could all get in. Finally having gotten the twins strapped in, the Doctor hurried round and dropped into the drivers' seat.

"Everyone ready?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder.

Rose nodded, dropping her bag by her feet as she strapped herself in. They waved to Sarah as they pulled away.

**~StormWolf10~**

It was the first time Noah, James and Leanne had actually seen the twins in person, and it had been just a week after the Doctor and Rose had first met the twins. They only had Felix and Alexis with them for the day, but it had been agreed they would have the twins a couple of times throughout the week too so that the children would get used to them being there when they got home from school. Today, as it was Saturday, they were at the aquarium, and the Doctor had barely pulled into the parking space- thankfully, a parent and toddler space- when James and Noah were trying to clamber out of the car, Noah over the top of poor Felix, who'd woken up and was staring at the boy, unsure whether to cry or not. Quickly, the Doctor set to work unfolding the double-pram, which was harder than it looked, while Rose got James and Noah to stand by the side of the car. Soon though, they were heading into the aquarium.

"Don't run off, you two," Rose told Noah and James warningly, noting the glint in their eyes.

The Doctor was pushing the double pram, occasionally offering an apologetic smile as he bumped into people with the pram; it was big and bulky, and really quite difficult to manoeuvre. He and Rose had debated getting two prams, but the truth was they couldn't fit them in the boot of the car, not when they had their three older children with them too. Gritting his teeth, the Doctor ploughed onward- quite literally, almost running Leanne over in the process, who had her nose in a script she'd been given for her drama class- and followed Rose, James and Noah into the aquarium. Rose had taken hold of the boys' hands now, ensuring they couldn't run off, and the Doctor was glad because it looked rather busy. He was also grateful that the aquarium allowed strollers and pushchairs in- the Doctor dreaded to think what would have happened if he and Rose had had to carry the twins and leave the boys to their own devices.

"Mum, look!"

And with that, Noah was off, running up some steps, James close behind him. Rose set off after them, and soon discovered that the two boys were peering into a pool of stingrays.

"Wow, they're big, aren't they?" Rose asked the boys, flashing a grin at the Doctor, who was watching with a smile at the bottom of the stairs with the pushchair.

"They're related to sharks." James announced, reading aloud from the large plastic sign beside the pool "'Most stingrays have one or more barbed stings on the tail, which are used exclusively in self-defence. The stinger may reach a length of approximately 35 cm, and its underside has two grooves with venom glands'."

"Cool!" Noah murmured, eyes going wide as he peered at the stingrays again.

Rose couldn't help but chuckle at that. They remained staring at the stingrays for a little longer before ushering the boys back down to the Doctor. From there, they slowly made their way around the first section of the aquarium. Several times, James and Noah tried to disappear into the Saturday crowd, but Rose and the Doctor always made sure they were in sight. Leanne was despairing over the script she was reading through, and seemed oblivious to all the things happening around her, even when James and Noah repeatedly tugged on her arm to show her the otters. After a while though, the twins began to fuss, wanting to be fed, and the family quickly made their way to the cafeteria.

**~StormWolf10~**

"How about one more bite?" the Doctor suggested gently to James.

James, however shook his head, pushing his plate further away.

"Are you sure? Because you won't get anything else until we're home," the Doctor reminded him.

James nodded.

"I'm sure." The boy replied.

"Ok," the Doctor said with a sigh, putting the boy's half-empty plate on the tray "Lea, can you take this over to the bin?"

Leanne blinked, looking up from the drama script she was still poring over, and gave the Doctor an odd look.

"It's that or you take the baby." He told her, gesturing at Alexis, who was kicking in his arms.

Rose smirked at the exchange, waiting for Leanne to spring to her feet and grab the tray to take it over and dispose of it. And so, it was with great shock to her parents that Leanne dropped the script onto the table and carefully took Alexis in her arms. The Doctor blinked, and then nodded slowly, more to himself than anyone at the table.

"Ok," he said to himself, bemused "I'll take the tray then."

The Doctor slowly rose to his feet, picking up the tray and making his way across the cafeteria to deposit the rubbish in the bin. When he returned, James and Noah were doing the colouring sheets that came with their meals and Rose was shushing a crying Felix. Leanne, however, looked completely at ease holding Alexis, and the little girl was staring up at her with wide blue eyes, gurgling every now and then.

"Want me to take her?" the Doctor asked as he sat down again.

Leanne just shook her head.

**~StormWolf10~**

Hours later, the family were leaving the aquarium. Both Felix and Alexis were asleep again, and even Noah was dropping off. Leanne had long since given up trying to learn her drama script with her younger brothers tugging on her arm and the Doctor and Rose were exhausted but happy. They dropped the twins back off at Sarah's before heading home themselves.

"Did you guys enjoy yourselves today?" the Doctor asked as they finally pulled up the drive.

However, the question was met with silence. Both Rose and the Doctor frowned, and turned in unison to look to the back of the car. All three children were fast asleep.


	99. The Slitheen at the Supermarket

**A/N: Yay! New chapter! But my computer's buggering up, so I'm not sure whether I'll be able to update tomorrow…**

Lungbarrow: The Slitheen at the Supermarket

"Be quiet, Noah!" James hissed at his brother, glaring at the younger boy.

Noah glared back, pushing his messy brown fringe out of his eyes.

"I _am_!" the five year old hissed back.

James didn't dignify that with a reply, and began creeping down the aisle. Noah scurried after the older boy, wide-eyed as James disappeared around the corner without him. His breath hitched, and then James' head popped back round the corner, his dark blonde hair flopping over his eyes.

"Noah! Come on!"

Noah skidded round the corner, crashing into his brother.

"What if Mum catches us?" Noah asked quietly, panicked.

"Mum's doing the shopping, and Felix and Alexis keep crying, she won't even notice. And when she does, we'll just tell her we've saved the Earth."

Noah's eyes lit up at that, and he nodded eagerly. They'd scarpered from Rose a little over five minutes ago, intent on saving the world. Leanne had extra drama lessons after school, it was a Friday and she had a big play coming up- but she wouldn't tell them what it was or when-, and Rose had Felix and Alexis with her. The twins had been with Rose all day, but she'd had to go shopping and James and Noah had both been sent home early from school because there was a rather horrid sickness bug going around. Jackie hadn't been able to take them, and Tony was at a friend's, with the Doctor at work, leaving Rose no other option than to take James and Noah shopping with her.

"What's the plan?" Noah asked, staring at the alien a little way ahead of them.

"We have to be quiet." James responded calmly.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Cleanup in aisle 17." The speakers droned, the person on the other end sounding bored.

Rose ignored it, and the announcement was soon replaced with the near-constant pop tunes the supermarket insisted on playing. Felix was gurgling in one of the baby seats attached to the trolley, kicking his legs every now and then, while Alexis sat beside her brother, blinking up at Rose as they headed down the baby aisle. It was then that Rose suddenly realised just how out of her depth she was as she scanned shelf upon shelf of nappies and had no idea what she needed to buy. She'd just taken her chances and grabbed two packs of nappies and dropped them in the trolley when another announcement came on over the speakers.

"We have two children at the Help Desk, boys, aged eight and five. They are wearing Edmonton Primary uniform and were found alone near the spillage in aisle 17. Can their parents or guardians please come to collect them?"

Rose blinked and turned around. James and Noah weren't there. They'd been behind her, she was sure of it, chattering on about a new film they'd wanted to see… Rose sighed. Only her children would cause havoc in a supermarket. With a sigh, she gripped the trolley and spun it around, hurrying for the Help Desk. Glancing down, she saw Felix and Alexis staring up at her, their blue eyes wide.

"What are we gonna do with your brothers, hmm?" Rose asked them with a sigh.

**~StormWolf10~**

"But Mum-" James began.

"Don't you dare, James." Rose told her son, hurrying through the supermarket "We're finishing the shopping and then we're going home. And neither of you are getting any sweets today."

"But we-" Noah started, pouting at his Mum and stopping walking.

The boy had let go of the trolley, and Rose glared at him.

"Come on, Noah." She told him, desperate to keep her voice calm. The last thing they needed was her yelling in the supermarket, or Noah having a tantrum. The Press would love that. "We'll talk about this when we get home."

Noah wouldn't budge. James was hovering nervously by the trolley, biting his lip.

"_Noah_." Rose told the boy warningly.

Noah then sat down in the middle of the aisle. Rose closed her eyes momentarily, praying that he didn't, that he wouldn't…

"I'm not going!" Noah announced loudly, glaring.

Rose glanced at the trolley, saw the twins staring at her in interest, and she hurried over to Noah, pulling him to his feet.

"NO!"

"Noah, stop it!" Rose told the boy through grit teeth, knowing they were already attracting a crowd.

"I _WANTED_ TO HELP!"

"Noah, stop yelling!" Rose said, crouching in front of the boy, trying to ignore how her cheeks were burning from embarrassment, could feel eyes on her "What do you mean?"

"We… We thought he was a Slitheen!" James chipped in from his position beside the trolley.

"You thought who was a Slitheen?" Rose asked, sure to keep her voice down. Although, she supposed that to anyone listening, it would just sound like a childish game that the boys' Mother was going along with.

"The man." James replied.

"The fat man!" Noah added.

"Noah!" Rose berated quickly, hearing some passers-by muttering about 'the rudeness of that child!'.

"But it's true!" Noah protested, wide-eyed.

"Ok, which man was this?" Rose asked, straightening up and tugging Noah back over to the trolley.

"That one!" Noah announced, pointing down the aisle.

Rose looked up suddenly, as did James. James immediately recognised the fat man as the one he and Noah had been tracking through the supermarket. The man's trolley was full of beer, crisps and chocolate. Rose stifled a laugh, causing the two boys to look up at her in confusion.

"He… He's not a Slitheen, sweetheart." Rose told them gently.

"Are you sure?" James asked, brow furrowed.

"Torchwood would have picked him up by now if he were," Rose told the boys quietly.

"Oh." Noah sighed, dejected "So when we pushed him into the stack of baked beans, we weren't saving the world?"

"No, sweetheart," Rose laughed "not at all."

Both boys looked rather upset at that, and Rose shook her head. She ushered them along the corridor, pushing the trolley along. Silently, Rose made a mental note to tell the Doctor not to tell the boys stories of their past adventures at bedtime if it meant them chasing 'Slitheen' through the supermarket.


	100. Is Your Heart Big Enough?

**A/N: Beautiful but angsty chapter for you. Written on crappy College computers where the keyboard doesn't work unless you thump each button… I nearly lobbed the computer out the window…**

Lungbarrow: Is Your Heart Big Enough?

James frowned at the door to his Dad's study. They weren't allowed in there, it was where the Doctor and Rose did all their paperwork for their Torchwood Field Missions. But James _needed_ to go in there, he needed to speak to his Dad. Rose was downstairs, as was Noah. Felix and Alexis were with them for the day again, and Rose had been trying to make the older boys feel as involved as possible, asking them to fetch bottles of milk when the twins were due their feeds, or to go and grab a nappy for her, or get the twins some toys. But James was uncertain. The Doctor and Rose had made sure they had enough time for each of their children, even though Leanne kept going round Ollie's to rehearse the mysterious play she wouldn't talk about, and the children would be lying if they'd said they weren't excited about the twins living with them full-time. And yet, James felt uneasy, he wanted reassurance. And that was why he was stood outside his Dad's study, staring at his mismatched socks and thinking hard. Was it worth interrupting his Dad about? It probably wasn't. And then, just as James went to walk away, the door to the study opened…

**~StormWolf10~**

"You know you can talk to me and Mum about anything, right?" the Doctor asked the seven year old gently.

James nodded. He and the Doctor were now sat in the hallway, their backs against the wall.

"Then what's up?" the Doctor questioned softly "You were doing really well with the twins earlier, and they're starting to recognise you as well! I think even Noah's warming to them."

James nodded again, a small smile on his face. That smile, however, quickly vanished.

"I… What happens to me?" James asked quietly, looking up at his Dad for the first time since the conversation was started.

"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked in confusion, brow furrowed at the boy.

"I mean, when the twins move in. Full-time. When they live with us. What happens to me and Lea and Noah?" James asked.

The Doctor, still frowning, brushed James' dark blonde hair out of his eyes, making a mental note to remind Rose the boys needed their hair cut.

"Well, you'll still live here with us. You're not going anywhere, buddy." The Doctor told James "It'll be the seven of us."

"I know," James said with a sigh and an eye-roll- he was spending too much time with Lea, the Doctor decided, he was acting like a teenager before he was even eight- "but I mean, with the twins. They'll take up so much of your time! They already _are_ now! I… Lea and Noah will be alright though, won't they? But I… Where do_ I_ fit in?"

The Doctor blinked at the boy. James had lived with them for over a year, and he'd always seemed such a sensible, reasonable little boy. It was the first time the Doctor had properly seen him angry, and he had no idea what had _caused_ the anger.

"Why do you think you won't fit in, James?" the Doctor asked gently.

"Because you'll have the twins and Lea and Noah."

"But we have you too." The Doctor pointed out.

"But you'll pay attention to _them_!" James snapped suddenly, glaring at his Dad "You'll pay attention to Lea, because she's practically a grown up, and she's a girl. You'll pay attention to Noah because he's younger than me and still wants to be played with constantly. You'll pay attention to the twins because they're babies and need your attention. And then there'll be me. Just me and Smokey."

The Doctor opened his mouth to reply, and then closed it again. Then opened his mouth. Then closed it. And then the Doctor realised. James was the middle child, stuck in between his teenage sister who'd been getting loads of attention from him and Rose because of the bullies and the anorexia and the general teenage things, and Noah who was getting loads of attention from not only he and Rose, but Jackie and Pete. Noah had been the baby of the family- well, until the twins, at least- and was seen as the sweet little boy who liked Disney films and football and toy cars, and the Doctor and Rose had made such a fuss of him when he'd lost his first tooth a few weeks ago. And then there'd been James. Stuck in the middle, growing up without his parents even noticing, his obsessions changing rapidly from dinosaurs and toy cars to stars and astronomy, and he'd only been given a few crash courses in constellations from the Doctor to keep him placated. The Doctor suddenly felt terrible, wanted to go back, relive all those wasted months with the boy and _make_ _them_ _worthwhile_. Take him out to more football matches, make a big deal of him losing his baby teeth, play with him, talk to him, see him growing up. And he'd missed it all, even though he'd been stood right there, had been living with the boy. James had descended into silence again, glaring stubbornly at the opposite wall. He had every right to be angry, the Doctor decided, the boy was so sensible and polite that he'd been overlooked _so_ much. The Doctor and Rose had rarely had to tell him off, never had to yell at him for taking Noah's toys, or not doing his homework, or getting a bad school report. The boy hadn't been bullied, or stopped eating, or cried on his first day at a new school. He'd never argued back or accused the Doctor of not being his real Dad like Lea, had never sat down in the middle of a supermarket and refused to move or eaten all his Easter eggs in one go like Noah. He'd never been much trouble, and hadn't begged for attention like his brother, or unintentionally made himself ill like his sister. And so the Doctor and Rose had… forgotten him. They'd fed him, of course, and played games with him and read him bedtime stories, but they'd never really stopped and listened to him. And now, with the twins, they'd been worried about Leanne not wanting babies in the house, had been worried about Noah getting upset he wasn't the youngest anymore, but they'd never thought that it would be their middle child who would work himself up over it. Because James was sensible, and sweet, and he'd kept his mouth shut, because he'd thought it was the right thing to do.

"Why didn't you tell us, buddy?" the Doctor asked eventually, a pained expression on his face.

James shrugged, and the Doctor realised there were silent tears streaming down the boy's cheeks. He quickly pulled him closer to him, hugging the boy.

"I didn't want to upset you and Mum." James managed through his tears "I… You and Mum were so upset, and I don't like it when you're upset. I wanted you to be happy."

The Doctor closed his eyes at that. That, right there, was the reason they loved James so much, and the reason they so often overlooked him. The boy was so sweet and kind that he'd put their feelings above his own, had wanted to do anything to make them happy even if it made him miserable. He hadn't spoken up because he hadn't wanted to upset them, and the Doctor and Rose had just assumed he was alright with it all. But now, it was apparent that everything was not alright.

"I… Do you not want the twins?" the Doctor asked carefully, not even wanting to think what would happen if James said no; they were all so attached to the twins now, he and Rose and Lea and Noah. They'd begun painting the nurseries, getting furniture… But they couldn't throw James out.

"I do! I really love them, but…It's just…" James replied hurriedly, green eyes wide as he hastened to explain.

"You're scared you'll be forgotten?" the Doctor concluded gently.

James bit his lip, nodding.

"I really am sorry, James." The Doctor told the boy quietly, resting his cheek on the boy's head. "We never meant to overlook you, never. But, well, your sister was unwell, and Noah can be loud and demanding, and… That's no excuse. And I promise, I'll make more time for you, both me and Mum. We'll sort it out, we'll fix it."

James nodded silently, and then pulled away to look at his Dad.

"I…Sometimes I wonder, Dad." James admitted carefully, meeting his Dad's gaze "Sometimes I wonder. There'll be five of us when the twins are here, five kids. The others, they need you. Lea needs Mum, and Noah and the twins need both of you. And then there's me, I don't fit in with either of you, not really. I'm too old to sit on your lap like Noah, but… I'm not as old as Lea." James sighed at that, breaking off before continuing "I guess what I'm asking, is…Is your heart big enough? To love all five of us? Equally? Is your heart big enough for that?"

James' wide-eyed, panicked expression almost broke the Doctor's heart there and then.

"Always." The Doctor answered quickly, voice soft but so, so adamant. The answer had been quick, but that's because he hadn't had to think about it. He never would. It was such an obvious answer. "My heart will always be big enough for that, buddy. Even when you've grown up and left and have a family of your own. And you're not too old to sit on my lap, not if you want to come and have a cuddle. I don't care how big you get, you won't be old to do that, ok?"

James nodded, pushing himself close to the Doctor's chest again, and the Doctor gladly accepted the hug, his arms going around the boy's body to hold him there. As James sobbed into his t-shirt, the Doctor could hear Noah yelling downstairs, the twins crying, and Rose telling Noah off. But all that could wait. This was his time with James.


	101. This Kiss

**A/N: In which the play Leanne is performing at school is revealed, and she and Ollie share a moment that could change everything completely… The lines written are Shakespearean, and are written as per they appear in the play (lack of capital letters at some points as well, but that's how it's written!). This chapter is over 2000 words! Yay!**

Lungbarrow: This Kiss

Leanne stood nervously onstage, hands shaking as the spotlight hit her. The brightness of the light made her wince, but they were soon dimmed. Taking a deep breath, she glanced at Ollie, and then at Mr Scott, her drama teacher.

"Well then, go on you two. From the line I told you. I'll prompt you if need be." Mr Scott announced calmly.

Leanne nodded, and then looked at Ollie, who nodded back at her, looking equally scared. Swallowing, Ollie stepped forward and continued the scene the teacher had interrupted.

"By my sword, Beatrice, thou lovest me." Ollie announced calmly, seemingly stepping straight back into character as Benedick.

"Do not swear, and eat it." Leanne responded, her voice trembling.

Her hands felt sweaty and she was shaking, and she really didn't like this… Why had she let Ollie talk her into accepting the role of Beatrice? She hadn't even read Much Ado About Nothing before she'd gotten the part. She wasn't even sure that she understood what it was about.

"I will swear by it that you love me; and I will make him eat it that says I love not you."

Again, Ollie's voice was perfectly level. He was completely at ease.

"Will you not eat your word?" Leanne asked, trying not to smile, even as Ollie almost smiled.

"With no sauce that can be devised to it. I protest I love thee."

"Why, then, God forgive me!"

"What offence, sweet Beatrice?" Ollie asked, lips almost quirking into another forbidden smile.

This scene wasn't meant to be smiled in, Leanne berated herself, this was a serious scene!

"You have stayed me in a happy hour: I was about to protest I loved you." Leanne replied, voice a little more level now.

"And do it with all thy heart."

Leanne was about to reply with her next line, when Mr Scott interrupted them again.

"Good, good, how about we skip to the part about Claudio?" he suggested.

"But there's only a few more lines until that part anyway!" Ollie pointed out.

"Yes, well, there's still the matter of the kiss to rehearse, for both you, and Naomi and Christian." The teacher replied.

Leanne blushed at that, and could just about make out Naomi sat in the front row of the school's theatre, peering up on the stage and blushing as well. Of course, only their idiot teacher would cast Naomi as Hero, with Christian as Claudio, and then have Leanne as Beatrice and Ollie as Benedick… With a sigh, Ollie nodded.

"Good! Carry on!" Mr Scott announced cheerily.

"Come, bid me do any thing for thee." Ollie said calmly, stepping closer to Lea.

"Kill Claudio." Leanne responded, looking her best friend and crush in the eyes.

"Ha! not for the wide world." Ollie replied, taking a step back again.

And then, they were moving, as if it were a choreographed dance, completely in synch.

"You kill me to deny it. Farewell." Leanne announced, turning her back on Ollie and beginning to walk away.

As the script demanded, Ollie grabbed her arm, stopped her from going too far.

"Tarry, sweet Beatrice."

"I am gone, though I am here: there is no love in you: nay, I pray you, let me go." Leanne countered, beginning to pull away from Ollie.

"Beatrice-"

"In faith, I will go." Leanne made to pull away from Ollie again.

His grip held firm.

"We'll be friends first." Ollie told her, tugging her back towards him.

"You dare easier be friends with me than fight with mine enemy."

"Is Claudio thine enemy?" Ollie countered, lips quirking upwards again.

Leanne took a deep breath.

"Is he not approved in the height a villain, that hath slandered, scorned, dishonoured my kinswoman? O that I were a man! What, bear her in hand until they come to take hands; and then, with public accusation, uncovered slander, unmitigated rancour,-O God, that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the market-place." Leanne announced, only just managing to stop a proud smile spreading across her face as she got it right.

Ollie too, it seemed, was struggling not to smile at how she'd said it all correctly. Schooling his expression, Ollie continued.

"Hear me, Beatrice-"

"Talk with a man out at a window! A proper saying!"

"Nay, but, Beatrice-"

"Sweet Hero! She is wronged, she is slandered, she is undone."

"Beat-"

Leanne launched into another of the mini-monologues, a smile tugging at her lips.

"Princes and counties! Surely, a princely testimony, a goodly count, Count Comfect; a sweet gallant, surely! O that I were a man for his sake! or that I had any friend would be a man for my sake! But manhood is melted into courtesies, valour into compliment, and men are only turned into tongue, and trim ones too: he is now as valiant as Hercules that only tells a lie and swears it. I cannot be a man with wishing, therefore I will die a woman with grieving."

"Tarry, good Beatrice. By this hand, I love thee." Ollie responded.

The pair didn't even seem to be concentrating on the lines now, their eyes had met, had locked, stayed. They seemed to blink in unison, just staring at one another, the lines tumbling out of their mouths one after the other.

"Use it for my love some other way than swearing by it." Leanne said, the words falling from her lips with little to no thought.

"Think you in your soul the Count Claudio hath wronged Hero?"

"Yea, as sure as I have a thought or a soul."

Ollie grinned, and began to speak.

"Enough, I am engaged; I will challenge him. I will kiss your hand, and so I leave you. By this hand, Claudio shall render me a dear account. As you hear of me, so think of me. Go, comfort your cousin: I must say she is dead: and so, farewell."

And then, both Lea and Ollie turned to look at Mr Scott expectantly. The man blinked and smiled.

"Well," he said "looks like you two have been practicing!"

With an embarrassed smile, they left the stage as Naomi and Christian stepped up to practice some of their scenes.

**~StormWolf10~**

This was embarrassing, Leanne decided, definitely embarrassing. It was one thing to pair her up with Ollie, her best friend, her crush. It was an entirely different thing to then force the pair of them to kiss, onstage, in front of their entire drama class. At least now Ollie was looking scared as well, the calm demeanour from before giving way to a panicked expression.

"I… I'm sorry?" Ollie stuttered, praying he'd heard Mr Scott wrong.

"I need you to rehearse the kiss." Mr Scott repeated slowly, an amused expression on his face. Kids, he decided, always got worked up about the smallest of things in drama. "It's just acting."

"Yeah." Ollie agreed quietly, wide-eyed "Just acting."

Leanne echoed the same sentiment, but didn't believe the words that left her mouth. Now she thought of it, Ollie didn't look that convinced either. And it was at that moment that Leanne let herself believe, for a split second, that maybe Ollie liked her too. But no, that wasn't possible. This was Ollie, her tall, lanky, ginger best friend. And she'd never seen him flirt with a girl, or check her out. Maybe he didn't even like girls. A momentary flash of horror swept through Leanne. Just her luck, that, fancying a gay guy. She then suddenly became very aware that they were stood on the stage, in front of their drama class, and that she was meant to be acting. Looking at Ollie, she took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Mr Scott broke in, shaking his head "I think you'll find that it's _Benedick_ who initiates the kiss. Ollie?"

Ollie gulped, glancing at his teacher before returning his attention to Leanne. His wonderful, beautiful best friend Lea, who he'd defend in an instant. Of course, he knew she would never like him the way he like her, he was… Well, nothing. He wasn't strong, or sporty. He was tall, yes, but lanky too, freckles everywhere, bright ginger hair… Why would Leanne- no, why would _anyone_- like him? Preparing himself for the worst, and at the same time making sure to keep this moment in his mind forever, his first- and probably only, with the exception of the performance of the play- kiss with Lea. He stepped forward, ducked down slightly- why did she have to be so short? This probably looked so awkward- and suddenly heard whispering from some of his classmates, who were watching them from the seats. What? Was he doing it wrong? Was there something he was meant to do? Ollie froze.

"Perhaps we should go through the lines that lead up to the kiss, do it properly?" Mr Scott suggested suddenly.

Both Leanne and Ollie blinked.

"What line do we go from?" Ollie asked, watching Mr Scott carefully.

"Well, we don't need to do the whole scene," Mr Scott told them, thinking "so maybe go from 'A miracle!'"

Ollie and Leanne both nodded, swallowing. Taking a deep breath, Ollie began speaking.

"A miracle! here's our own hands against our hearts. Come, I will have thee; but, by this light, I take thee for pity."

"I would not deny you; but, by this good day, I yield upon great persuasion; and partly to save your life, for I was told you were in a consumption." Leanne replied.

Already, her heart rate was increasing, she was panicking about the kiss that was merely a minute away…

"Peace!" Ollie announced, his voice shaking slightly. He was equally as panicky as Lea "I will stop your mouth."

And then, they were kissing. Lea's hands were in Ollie's hair, Ollie had one hand on her waist and one in her hair, ignoring the fact they were in a room full of year nines. The kiss was far from perfect, neither of them had had any experience in this sort of thing, acting or not. The pressure wasn't quite right, their teeth clashed painfully together. Then it was over. Brief. That was how it was meant to be, brief. Brief but passionate, Mr Scott had told them. Both wide-eyed, Ollie and Lea pulled away from each other, breathing heavily. The class had gone quiet, and Leanne risked a glance at Naomi and Christian, who were both smirking. Mr Scott looked somewhere between shocked and amused, and he suddenly shook himself, glancing at his watch.

"Right. That was, yeah… That was… That was good. Anyway, that's the end of the lesson today; I'll see you next week. Have a nice weekend." Mr Scott told the class.

Children began grabbing their coats and bags, spilling out of the school theatre. Naomi had been trying to hang back, but Christian shook his head, tugging the girl after him. Leanne and Ollie followed at a slower pace, an awkward silence settling over them.

"So, uh, you wanna come to mine after school next week? I mean, I know you usually do stuff, and your parents might have the twins with them, but there are still a few scenes we need to rehearse." Ollie suggested, cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"Yeah, I suppose." Leanne shrugged awkwardly "I mean, we need to rehearse the stuff and learn it, so, yeah."

"Good." Ollie nodded.

By now, they were halfway down the corridor, heading for the main gate. They were a little surprised Naomi and Christian weren't waiting for them, but both were silently pleased- it was awkward enough without their friends going on about the kiss as well.

"Are you going home, or straight to Donna's?" Ollie asked, knowing that Lea, James and Noah were spending the weekend at Donna's so that Rose and the Doctor could have one last weekend alone before the twins moved in the following week.

"Home." Leanne replied "We're going to Donna's after dinner."

As they made their way out of the school and began walking home, they fell into silence again.

"Lea," Ollie began suddenly after a good five minutes of silence "there's one thing I'd like to rehearse again."

"Oh, yeah? Is it the entrance? I know, I know, I can't get the lines out quick enough, I keep stumbling over the words-"

"Lea, it's not that." Ollie interrupted, flushing red again "I… Uh… I'd like to practice the kiss again."

Leanne blinked, and stopped walking. Ollie quickly stopped walking too, swallowing hard as he desperately tried to work out whether Leanne was annoyed with him.

"The kiss?" Leanne echoed cautiously.

Ollie nodded.

"Yeah. I mean, if you want to. We... We don't have to. But I'd like to." Ollie admitted awkwardly.

Leanne grinned.

"Yeah," she replied, causing Ollie to grin "I'd like to, too."


	102. Last Weekend of Freedom

**A/N: Another chapter :) Continues on from the last (sort of). Enjoy!**

Lungbarrow: Last Weekend of Freedom

The Doctor handed Rose a glass of wine, settling down on the sofa beside her. It was their last weekend of freedom, by the end of the next week; they'd have two babies in the house. Of course, they hadn't had 'freedom' since adopting Noah two and a half years earlier, but this would be different; the twins would take so much more work. Donna had happily taken Leanne, James and Noah for the weekend so that the Doctor and Rose could have one last weekend without the babies. They'd tried to protest at first, but Donna had insisted, and things were still tense with Jackie and Pete, so it wasn't like the children could go there.

"I'm guessing this weekend will be our last time sleeping through the night for some time, huh?" Rose asked her husband with a small smile as she sipped at her wine.

The Doctor grinned.

"I'm not sure I want to think about that yet," he told her, eyes shutting as he leant his head back against the sofa "I've become _very_ attached to my sleep the past four years I've been here."

Rose smirked at that.

"Oh, I know! I have to listen to you snore every night!" she countered with a grin.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, mock-glaring at her.

"Anyway," the Doctor continued pointedly "what should we do? It's not like we have to finish the nurseries off, they've been done for a while now."

Rose nodded in agreement. Lea, James and Noah had helped them with the nurseries during the week. They'd wanted to steer clear of the generic blue for boys and pink for girls, and so Felix's room had been painted beige with his name in decals and silhouetted stickers of animals, while Alexis' room was pale yellow with flower stickers and her name in decals.

"One last weekend of freedom. What do you want to do?" the Doctor asked, waggling his eyebrows.

Moments later, Rose was tugging the Doctor up the stairs towards their bedroom…

**~StormWolf10~**

"What do you guys want for breakfast?" Donna asked, glancing over at James and Noah.

Both boys were staring up at her expectantly, wide-eyed. Her house wasn't the biggest, and her dining table was in the kitchen, but at least that way Donna could keep an eye on the kids while she made breakfast. They'd gone down relatively easily the night before, she had read the boys bedtime stories like Rose had suggested, and the boys were out like a light. They'd come to hers after dinner the previous night, having spent the day at school. Leanne had been oddly quiet, a small smile constantly on her lips, but she'd blushed whenever Donna tried to ask her about it. It was a boy, Donna decided, something had happened with a boy.

"Well?" Donna prompted Noah and James "Toast? Cereal? I can do bacon and egg if you like?"

At that, the boys nodded eagerly.

"Yeah! Bacon and egg!" Noah announced, bouncing in his chair.

With a smile, Donna nodded, heading to her fridge to get the items needed.

"When will your sister be up?" She asked as she began the breakfast, directing the question at James as Noah pushed his toy cars up and down the table.

"Later." James replied with a shrug "She wastes half the day!"

Donna smirked.

"Yeah, well, you'll be like that in a few years." she told the boy, recalling that she- like Lea now- used to stay in bed until at least ten when she was a teenager.

"I won't!" James protested, green eyes wide.

"You will." Donna countered, cracking an egg into the frying pan on the hob.

James glared, muttering under his breath that he wouldn't, and returned to reading his book on star constellations.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Wonder how Donna's coping with the kids," Rose mused as she and the Doctor ate breakfast.

"It's barely eight, Rose." The Doctor pointed out in amusement "Lea probably isn't even up, and the boys will just be having breakfast."

"I know. I meant last night. You know how excited Noah gets when he's with Donna." Rose responded.

"Donna will be fine with them," the Doctor told his wife gently "and Lea will help distract the boys. Once she's up, of course."

The pair descended into silence as they finished their breakfast. It stayed like that for several minutes before the Doctor finally- and against his better judgement- broke the silence.

"Rose," he began cautiously "don't you think we should go and see your parents today?"

"Why?" Rose asked, looking up sharply "It's our last weekend of freedom, without babies in the house. Donna was kind enough to take Lea, James and Noah for us, why would we want to ruin the weekend by seeing my parents?"

"Well, we didn't exactly depart on good terms last time we say them, did we?" the Doctor reminded his wife gently.

Rose scoffed, and stood up. She collected the Doctor's plate and headed to the kitchen. The Doctor hurried after her, but by the time he got to the kitchen, Rose was already washing up.

"You can't avoid them forever, Rose. They're your parents. And it's not fair on the kids, or your brother. James and Tony and Noah get along really well, and it's unfair on Felix and Alexis to deprive them of their grandparents. Unfair on your parents, too."

"They… Dad virtually sacked one of us over them, Doctor! That's not… How could he do that?" Rose asked, spinning round to stare at her husband.

"I know, I know. It was… Sudden. He should have broken it more gently, should have discussed it to us without the kids there. But what's done is done, and he meant no harm. He was just being… practical. Both him and Jackie, they were being practical, making sure we knew where they stood on the matter, what was going to happen with work." The Doctor shrugged.

"Yeah, but what happens now?" Rose pointed out "We're adopting the twins, that was never not a possibility. But what do we do about work? We couldn't even decide which one of us would resign the first time, that's why we started working part-time instead! And can we even survive on one wage?"

"We'll work it out, Rose." The Doctor assured his wife, tugging her into his arms as Rose began crying "We'll work it out."

**~StormWolf10~**

"Finally up, I see?" Donna asked Leanne with a smirk as she surveyed the dishevelled teenager in the sitting room doorway.

Leanne grunted and headed for the kitchen. Moments later, Donna could hear the cupboard doors banging as the teenager opened and closed them periodically. Donna got to her feet, heading for the kitchen.

"What do you want for breakfast?" Donna asked the girl.

"Just toast. I'll do it." Leanne replied awkwardly.

"No, don't worry. Sit down." Donna told her, nudging the girl towards the table before beginning to make her some breakfast.

"Where are the boys?" Leanne asked, peering out into the conservatory.

"In the garden." Donna replied "I managed to slap some sun cream on them before they went out."

Leanne laughed.

"Yeah, Noah hates that. He's so impatient, always just wants to go and play."

As Leanne finally spotted her two brothers playing in the garden, laughing and running around in the warm June heat, Donna finished making her breakfast. Lea jumped when the plate was slid in front of her.

"So," Donna began, sitting opposite the girl "wanna tell me what that constant smile was about last night?"

"No." Leanne replied, blushing again and paying her toast a great deal of attention.

"Lea," Donna prompted the girl, a smile on her face.

"It's nothing." Leanne shook her head.

"It's not though, is it?" Donna replied "Is it a boy?"

Leanne blushed even more.

"It is, isn't it!" Donna crowed happily, grinning "Is it Ollie?"

As Leanne blushed even further, Donna knew she'd guessed correctly.

"Well? What happened?" Donna asked "I'm guessing you haven't told your Mum yet?"

Leanne shook her head.

"Didn't really know what to say." Leanne admitted awkwardly "Ollie and me…. We're, we're doing Much Ado About Nothing in drama. Mr Scott cast me and Ollie as Beatrice and Benedick…"

Donna grinned, already guessing where the conversation was going.

"We, uh, had to kiss. Yesterday. We had to kiss. And I thought I was being stupid, thought that he wouldn't… _couldn't_ like me, not like _that_. But… On our way home, yesterday, Ollie suggested I went to his next week after school, to rehearse, and…"

"And?" Donna prompted.

"And he said he'd like to rehearse the kiss. Again." Leanne concluded, cheeks flaming but a smile tugging at her lips.

"Do you like him?" Donna asked, already knowing the answer.

Leanne nodded, almost immediately, not even pausing to think.

"Then you need to speak to your Mum about this," Donna told her with a smile.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Rose?" the Doctor announced calmly, gaze not leaving the TV "I've been thinking. About the whole work problem."

"Yeah?" Rose asked, tearing her gaze from the TV to look at her husband, brow furrowed.

"Yeah." The Doctor nodded.

And, as he proceeded to explain his idea to Rose, couldn't help but nod and agree with it. It was their only option.


	103. A Letter of Resignation

**A/N: A Pete-centric chapter here, but I hope that none of you saw **_**this**_** coming… PLOT TWIST XD**

Lungbarrow: A Letter of Resignation

Pete Tyler frowned at the letter in his hands. He… Despite what he'd said to his daughter and son-in-law, he'd never expected them to go through with his suggestion of one of them resigning. Both of them loved working at Torchwood, had made so many friends, led Field Teams… But not anymore, it seemed. Now, he was a Field Team leader down. He hadn't even started reading the letter yet, but Pete knew that that was what the letter would tell him. With a deep breath, he began reading it, wondering how he'd explain it to Jackie, about their stubborn daughter and son-in-law, and what they'd done…

_Dear Mr Tyler,_

_I would like to inform you that I have taken the decision to resign from my work at Torchwood, stepping down as Field Team leader, effective June 17._

_I would like to thank you for the opportunities both you and Torchwood have given me over the many years I have worked here. The decision to resign was not taken lightly, but it has been made clear to me that my family life and my children must be prioritised over my job. I will not need a letter of recommendation from you at this point in time, as I am ceasing work to stay at home and look after the children. Again, this was a decision that was considered seriously for some time, and my family and I have concluded that this is perhaps the one option we felt most assured with._

Pete sighed at that. Although the letter was written professionally and very formally, there was no doubt that there were hints of their anger towards him and Jackie for telling them to either not adopt the twins or resign. Pete had regretted saying those things the moment they'd left his mouth, but hadn't had the chance to apologise to either Rose or the Doctor; after Jackie and Rose had argued and the Doctor had calmed Lea down, they'd left, not caring that the three boys had been playing in the garden. Rose had promised Tony he could come and sleep over again sometime, but had pointedly ignored her parents as she did so. Both the Doctor and Rose had deliberately ignored Pete every time they bumped into him at work, too. The whole thing was really frustrating Pete; he didn't want to lose Rose, not after only being her Dad for eight years…

_I apologise for any inconvenience this resignation causes, but I know that my second-in-command will be happy to step up as team leader, and I have every faith in him. Again, thank you for the opportunities I've received at Torchwood, not least because I wouldn't have my family if it weren't for the Dimension Cannon project._

Pete sighed again as he finished reading the letter, dropping the piece of paper onto the desk. He couldn't stop staring at the signature on the bottom of the letter, the all-too-familiar signature, all-too-familiar handwriting… He'd done this, Pete realised, he'd destroyed his family. He'd had them less than a decade and he'd ripped them apart. All that time with his first Jackie, wanting children, wanting a family, and now he'd ruined that chance, that wonderful, miraculous second chance he'd been given. Rose had been a God-send, as had Jackie, and he hadn't been able to believe his luck when Rose had accepted him readily, even after losing the Doctor. And then Tony had come along, his own little boy. But he'd wasted his chance. Tony was growing up, getting bigger every day, and Pete was stuck behind a desk at Torchwood. It was an all-too-common occurrence for him to get home after Tony's bedtime nowadays, and they'd lost so much time when Tony had started school. Rose had moved out, had her own growing family, growing up, growing bigger without him and Jackie. All because he hadn't been able to keep his mouth shut, hadn't thought about what he was saying… He'd ruined it all. Taking a deep breath, he reached for the phone, dialling his home number, waiting for Jackie to answer.

"Jaqs?" he asked when she answered "We have a problem. No, no, I'll be home in time for dinner. It's… It's the Doctor and Rose…. Remember what I said when they told us about the twins? When I said one of them would have to resign? Yeah, well…. They've done it… No, not both of them, but one's just as bad! They're the only ones we have with actual _experience_!... No, just listen, Jaqs! The… The Doctor's resigned."


	104. Baby Siblings

**A/N: Another chapter! In which the twins finally move in XD**

Lungbarrow: Baby Siblings

Rose hushed the sobbing baby gently as she held Felix in his car seat. It was June 17th, and the Doctor and Rose had just gotten home with the twins. The adoption had been finalised an hour before, and Donna had gladly stayed at the Doctor's and Rose's with the other three children. Now, Rose was struggling to unlock the front door, trying to hush the little boy as she did so. Footsteps could suddenly be heard on the other side of the door, which suddenly opened to reveal Donna, Noah behind her with a wide smile on his face.

"Mum!" Noah yelled, trying to push his way out of the door.

Felix was still whimpering, and Rose shushed Noah and placated him with a smile as she made her way inside. The Doctor finally appeared at the door, carrying Alexis in her car seat.

"Hiya, Donna," he told the woman with a grin "have the kids been alright?"

"Fine." Donna nodded with a smile. "James has been playing computer games, Lea was rehearsing her script, and Noah made me play cars with him."

Donna followed the Doctor and Rose through to the front room, smiling as she watched Noah beg Rose to let him hold Felix.

"Ok, ok!" Rose laughed "Sit down on the sofa and give me a few minutes to settle him first, ok?"

Noah grinned and bounded over to the sofa, clambering onto it.

"Do you want me to go?" Donna asked the Doctor quietly, watching as Rose set Felix's car seat in the corner and lifted the crying boy out, shushing him gently.

"Nah, I'll go pop the kettle on in a minute." The Doctor responded "Take a seat."

Donna nodded, and somewhat awkwardly sat down on the other sofa, next to Lea who was still thumbing through her drama script. She felt a little awkward, even more so when the Doctor placed Alexis in her arms, promising to be back in a few minutes with tea. Donna blinked, looking down at the five month old baby girl that had been placed in her arms. Despite Felix's loud cries, and Rose's attempts to calm the boy, and Noah begging Rose to let him hold Felix for just a little while, and James playing games on the X Box, and Lea muttering her lines under her breath, Alexis merely blinked up at Donna, oblivious to her surroundings. Donna couldn't help the small smile that spread across her lips as she gazed down at the red-haired, blue eyed little girl in her arms.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Can… Can I hold him?"

Everyone in the room blinked, and looked over at James, who was stood awkwardly in front the Doctor, who had Felix in his arms. Noah had finally relinquished his baby brother, trading him for Alexis, who was sat on her brother's lap, leaning against him- the twins were just becoming old enough to sit up with support.

"Sure you can," the Doctor told James with a reassuring smile "take a seat and get yourself comfortable."

Biting his lip and looking nervous, James nodded and crossed to the other sofa, sitting between Donna and Leanne. The Doctor stood up, making his way over and carefully placing Felix- who was fast asleep- in James' arms. It was the first time James had held either of the twins, despite the twins having been round for days several times. Both Noah and Leanne had held the twins several times, and the Doctor was silently relieved that the boy was finally warming to the twins. He had told Rose about his and James' chat a few days ago, and both the Doctor and Rose had spent some time with the boy, chatting with him about it. They'd assured him that they wouldn't push him to interact with the twins, and that he'd get there in his own time which, it seemed, was now happening.

"Alright?" the Doctor asked the boy gently as he carefully removed his arms, leaving James cradling the little boy on his own.

James nodded, a small and satisfied smile on his face.

"Yeah." He replied quietly, nodding as he looked at his Dad, who was now crouched in front of him "He's really small."

The Doctor grinned, and he could hear Rose chuckling behind him as Donna smirked.

"I know, but they'll get bigger. Might even be bigger than you!" the Doctor told James with a grin.

**~StormWolf10~**

Donna left shortly before dinnertime, declining the Doctor's and Rose's offer to stay for dinner, knowing that a teenager, two young boys and two babies would be hard enough to sort dinner for, without her sticking around. Noah kicked and cried at bedtime, wanting to stay up, wanting to help with the twins- both twins were getting to the age where they were beginning to understand laughter, and Noah and James had spent ages pulling faces at them just so they'd laugh. Soon though, even James was heading to bed, and Rose took him upstairs to read him a bedtime story. She watched as the boy settled himself beneath the covers and looked at her expectantly.

"Are you feeling a little more confident with the twins now?" Rose asked James gently after a few moments.

James nodded, smiling slightly.

"Yeah. Yeah, I… I think it helps, that I know you and Dad won't… Won't ignore me."

Rose nodded, trying not to look too upset about what James had said.

"We really are sorry, sweetheart." Rose told James gently "And, for a while at least, it'll feel like we're only concentrating on the twins. And that's because, we will be. Sort of. You and Lea and Noah, you're all old enough that if you want to get some toys out and play, or you want a drink, or some crisps, you can do it yourself. But the twins, they'll need me and Daddy, and even you three, to help them, to know when they're hungry or want to play or if they need their nappies changing. But they're five months old already, they'll be crawling soon, then walking. And you and Noah and Lea will have to help us then, in case they try to do a runner!"

James giggled at that, and nodded. Rose grinned.

"Now, what story do you want tonight?"

**~StormWolf10~**

Hours later, the Doctor sighed.

"Your turn, Rose." He mumbled, burrowing back beneath the duvet.

"'S not." Rose responded sleepily "Besides, I've got work tomorrow. You don't."

The Doctor sighed again, knowing his wife was right. Although he'd resigned, Rose still worked. She was still working part-time, with Arthur being joint Team Leader working also part-time so he could have time off with Finlay and Freya. It had been a bit of a struggle, but the Doctor and Rose had worked out that they could survive on Rose's part-time wage alone; Torchwood paid extremely well due to the high-risk nature of the job, and the Doctor and Rose owned the house outright.

"But I got up when Alexis cried." The Doctor replied.

Rose didn't answer. Felix continued crying. With a sigh, the Doctor pushed himself out of bed and padded down the hallway to the little boy's room. And even though he was tired, the Doctor couldn't help but smile.


	105. Stage Fright

**A/N: Hmm… Another long chapter here, at 2,628 words long! Hope you enjoy :) It's a Leanne-centric chapter that really needed to be done. Pete and Jackie make an appearance, but it'll take a while to patch things up considering what they said to the Doctor and Rose!**

Lungbarrow: Stage Fright

"You don't have to come."

"Don't be silly, Lea. We want to." Rose responded, glancing up at the girl before continuing to change Alexis' nappy.

"You won't be missing much." Leanne shrugged.

Rose gave the girl a sceptical look.

"Lea, this is your first major drama performance, the first one parents can come and see. You want to continue it at GCSE, yeah?"

The girl nodded, not meeting Rose's gaze.

"Well, if we don't come and see this, there'll be other plays, next year, the year after, that we're invited to. But we don't want to wait that long, this is your first major role."

Lea sighed.

"But you've got James and Noah and the twins-" Lea tried.

Rose smirked.

"Donna's already offered to look after them. She also told me there might be something you needed to talk to me about." Rose replied.

Leanne swallowed, and looked around the room. Of course, it was only her, Rose and the twins in the room, as the Doctor had taken James and Noah out into the garden for a small game of football before bed. It was early July, so it was still light out, and Leanne knew that this would mean both James and Noah would try and stall, get more time to play before bed. It was Thursday evening, the play was less than twenty-four hours away, and Leanne knew that her parents wouldn't not come. It was too late to convince them otherwise. With a sigh, she sat down on the sofa, watching Felix lying on his play mat, trying to grab the soft toys dangling just above his head.

"Well?" Rose prompted as she lay Alexis on the floor with some toys "What was it you needed to talk about?"

Leanne blushed, ducking her head for a few moments before meeting her Mum's gaze. Rose was still sat on the floor, glancing at the twins every now and then to check on them.

"I… Did Donna tell you who's playing Benedick?" Leanne asked uncertainly.

Rose shook her head.

"Donna only said that you had a play coming up, and that there was also something sort of connected to it that you needed to talk to me about." Rose told her gently "Your Dad and I only knew it was Much Ado About Nothing when you told us, and we only knew your role when you told us. There was no snooping around, no one telling us anything behind your back, no us glancing at your script when you were in bed."

Leanne nodded slightly.

"Right, well… It's… It's Ollie."

"What's Ollie?" Rose asked, brow furrowed in confusion.

"Benedick. Ollie's playing Benedick. Naomi's playing Hero and Christian's playing Claudio." Leanne explained quietly.

"Oh. That's good, at least it's your three friends in the lead roles with you." Rose told the girl.

Leanne nodded, managing a weak smile that didn't reach her eyes. And then Rose realised.

"Ah." She realised, watching her eldest daughter carefully "That means you have to kiss Ollie."

Again, Leanne nodded, a blush rising in her cheeks again.

"Have you… Have you had to rehearse it yet?" Rose asked.

"Yeah," Leanne sighed, "that's why Donna said I needed to talk to you about it. We've… We've _rehearsed it_ a couple of times now."

"Oh." Rose murmured. And then her eyes widened as she realised what her daughter meant "Oh. You mean you've…"

"Only a few times. Three or four at the most. And it's… It's always been in a… _rehearsal_." Leanne explained quickly, before sighing again "But, the… The first time he suggested it, when he suggested me going round his house to rehearse, I thought… I thought that he meant, _you know_…"

"Lea," Rose broke in carefully "you're fourteen. You shouldn't be considering… _that_ just yet. And if Ollie's pressuring you-"

Leanne's eyes went wide as she realised what Rose had thought she'd meant.

"Oh, no! No, Mum! No! Not… Not _that_. Just… I thought… I thought he meant that he… Felt the same way. That he… He wanted us to be… More than friends."

Rose nodded slowly, and got to her feet, crossing the floor to sit beside Leanne on the sofa. Both the twins were happily playing on the floor, legs kicking as they played with their toys and gurgled to one another.

"What gave you that idea, sweetheart?" Rose asked gently.

"He… He said he'd like to practice the kiss again, and… And the way he said it, made me think…." Leanne sighed "I'm being stupid, aren't I?"

Rose mulled her answer over in her head for a short while, not wanting to upset the girl, but not wanting to give her false hope.

"Maybe you should… Maybe you should wait until after the performance is over, see whether Ollie continues acting this way or not." Rose suggested carefully.

Leanne blinked.

"But-" Leanne began, suddenly wide-eyed.

"Lea, sweetheart, you can't force Ollie to act either way." Rose broke in softly "You're both still young, it may be nothing more than a crush, and if it is, it's not worth potentially destroying a friendship over. I know, I know you feel like it's the one thing you want in the whole world. I understand, sweetheart, I've been there myself, but… But I was young, naïve. Jimmy Stone, his name was. I was barely sixteen, but I thought he was exactly who I wanted to be with, I moved in with him, lived with him, and it all fell apart… Now, I'm not saying the same would happen to you and Ollie, but I can't promise you that you and Ollie would work out, either. Like I said, you're both still young."

And it was at that moment that Felix started crying.

**~StormWolf10~**

The next evening, Donna came round to babysit James, Noah, Felix and Alexis so that the Doctor and Rose could go and see Leanne's performance. James had fussed a bit, wanting to go and see his sister perform, but Rose and the Doctor had finally managed to talk the boy out of it, and they got to the school just in time. Taking their seats and apologising to the people around them, the Doctor and Rose sat down just as the curtain went up. Leanne was already on stage, in costume. They watched in silence, but Rose couldn't help but notice how much smaller Lea looked compared to Naomi, who'd joined her onstage- Leanne's health had improved so much, and she was almost back to the weight she'd been before the anorexia, and yet she still looked so thin compared to her friend. Naomi wasn't a particularly big girl, none of the girls in the play seemed to be; they were all quite slim, and yet Leanne stuck out like a sore thumb. Still, Rose watched in silence, trying not to worry as she watched Ollie and Leanne interact onstage. They were getting along brilliantly, performing the roles perfectly, but Rose couldn't decide whether Ollie and Leanne looked like they were telling the truth when their characters came to the revelations that they loved each other, or whether they were both very good at acting. Then, before she knew it, it was the interval. The Doctor stood up to stretch his legs, and blinked.

"Rose," he said slowly, sitting back down "your parents are here."

"What?!" Rose blinked "Why? How did they even know?"

"I'm not sure," the Doctor replied, staring into the crowd of parents and teachers milling around "but they're heading this way."

"Oh god," Rose muttered "that's the last thing we need."

Rose sank lower into her seat, hoping her parents wouldn't spot her.

"Rose! Doctor!"

Too late. Plastering a fake smile on her face, Rose sat up as her parents finally appeared in front of them.

"Hi," Rose greeted them, although her tone was tense.

"Leanne's doing well, isn't she?" Jackie asked, ignoring the fact her daughter clearly didn't want to talk to her.

"Yeah." The Doctor nodded "How did you two know this was going on?"

"Oh, I saw a poster for it when we drove past the other day." Pete replied.

"And you just happened to know Leanne was in it?" Rose asked sceptically, eyebrow arched.

"We wanted to support the school." Pete responded calmly "So we bought tickets."

Rose scoffed at that, but both her parents ignored her.

"Is anyone sitting here?" Jackie asked, nodding to the two empty seats beside Rose.

Rose nodded.

"Yeah. I think they went to the loo." Rose replied.

"Just two of them?" Pete asked.

"Sorry?" Rose asked.

"Just two of them sat there?" Pete repeated.

"Yeah. Why?" Rose asked in confusion.

"Oh, good!" Jackie announced with a grin "They won't mind moving, then."

The Doctor and Rose blinked.

"I'm sorry? I don't think you can do that, Jackie." The Doctor chipped in, brow furrowed.

"Nonsense." Jackie responded with a wave of her hand "Is that them now?"

And then Jackie was hurrying off towards the two unsuspecting parents.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Mrs Lungbarrow?"

Rose and the Doctor both looked up in confusion to see Mr Scott at the end of their aisle, whispering furiously for them. There were only a few people between them and the end of the row, and Mr Scott leant a little further over them, flashing them an apologetic smile.

"Mrs Lungbarrow, can you come with me?" He whispered again "Lea's locked herself in the toilet and won't come out."

With a sigh, Rose nodded, extricating herself from between the Doctor and her parents- who had, somehow, managed to persuade the couple who'd been sat there before to switch seats with them- and made her way out. The second part of the play was nearly complete, the fifth act underway. They had to get her back out soon. Rose followed Mr Scott out of the school's theatre and round to the classrooms that were being used as the dressing rooms.

"She's in there." Mr Scott told Rose, pointing towards the girls' toilets at the end of the corridor.

Rose nodded, and made her way inside. She winced slightly as the heeled shoes she'd chosen to wear made a loud noise every time she took a step, echoing around the tiled room.

"Lea?" she asked as she stopped outside the only occupied toilet stall.

"What do you want?" Lea called out.

It was evident from the sound of her voice that she was crying, or at least had been crying.

"I want you to come out. Come on, you'll ruin your makeup." Rose told the girl, leaning against the cubicle.

"No! I don't care!"

Rose sighed.

"Come on, Lea. It's almost time for you to go on. And it's not like they can stall for time, or change the script… You need to go out there. For Ollie."

"Why? It's not like he'll notice I'm not there!"

"I think he will notice when there's no one for him to kiss-" Rose responded, breaking off "That's what this is about, isn't it? The kiss."

She heard her fourteen year old sniff, but not reply.

"Lea, sweetheart, I know you're scared, but Ollie's probably scared too."

"I doubt it." Leanne muttered, just loud enough for Rose to hear.

"Why?" Rose asked gently.

"Because to him it means nothing." The girl responded bitterly "To him it's just something he has to do in a school play."

"And it's not to you?"

"No. To me it's… It's… It doesn't matter."

"Lea, if you won't tell me what it means to you, how do you expect Ollie to know?" Rose pointed out with a small smile.

"Because he's my best friend!"

"Oh, honey," Rose sighed, smile growing wider "but he's also a boy. Boys need pointing out on these things."

She heard Leanne snort in disbelief.

"It's true!" Rose told her "Your Dad was the same. You know that, you know we travelled together for two years and not a thing happened. And that wasn't for lack of want. That was because I thought he didn't feel the same way, and he thought _I_ didn't feel the same way. And I'd flirt, and he'd flirt, but no one ever pointed it out to him, spelt it out in front of his face for him. Ollie… He doesn't understand, doesn't realise that he's meant to know how you feel. He's not a mind reader, sweetheart. No matter how much we expected guys to be, they're not mind readers."

There were a few moments of silence then, and then the _thunk_ of the lock on the toilet door being slid across and unlocked. The door of the stall opened, revealing Leanne, in costume, with red eyes.

"Come on, you," Rose sighed, tugging the girl out of the stall and hugging her "I think we'll need to get your makeup fixed before you go onstage."

She felt Leanne nod against her, and Rose led her from the toilets.

**~StormWolf10~**

Rose watched in silence, a small smile on her face. This was it. The bit she knew Leanne had been dreading. Luckily, they'd managed to fix the girl's makeup and push her onstage just in time, leaving Rose to hurry back to her seat. But now, the play was almost over, leaving only the small matter of Ollie's and Lea's kiss. The Doctor, of course, didn't know that Leanne had been panicking about it, but knew enough about Shakespeare that he was well aware of the play's ending. Rose supposed that the same went for her parents. And so, the pair of them watched in silence as some of the final lines were spoken between Ollie and Leanne. Rose subconsciously reached for her husband's hand, squeezing it. And then, Ollie- looking rather smart in his costume of a black suit and tie, his ginger hair slicked back- bent down and kissed Leanne soundly. The Doctor, Rose, Pete and Jackie all blinked. They'd been expecting the pair of them to have been given the instruction of a small, quick peck, something that could be passed off as a kiss without making them feel too awkward. But there was nothing small or quick about the kiss happening on stage. It wasn't the best, of course, sloppy and a little uncoordinated, but it seemed to work. It wasn't too long, but longer than the Doctor and Rose had expected. And it was very passionate. And as Ollie and Leanne broke away and the final lines of the play were uttered, Rose blinked. She clapped when they came back on for their bows, clapping along with the teachers and parents and school children. And then, when the lights came up, she turned to look at her husband. The Doctor, at least, was looking equally as shocked.

"You could've warned me about that, you know." He managed after a few moments.

"Thought you'd have figured it out. You knew what character she was playing." Rose responded with a smile.

"Well yeah, but I wasn't… I didn't think… Well, I didn't think it would be like that!" he responded, wide-eyed.

"Me either." Rose admitted.

As the rest of the audience began getting to their feet, leaving, talking to other people, heading backstage to collect their children, Rose and the Doctor got up too. They left Pete and Jackie behind, who still seemed to be gaping, and they hurried off to find Leanne. But when they got backstage, they found she was already ready, leant against the wall with her face free of makeup as she chatted with Christian, Naomi and Ollie. She and Ollie were holding hands, grinning dopily at each other every now and then. And it was at that moment that the Doctor and Rose realised something. Their little girl wasn't so little anymore.


	106. In The Headlines

**A/N: This will be the last update for a while, as I'm at a loss for chapter ideas, and I don't have any more chapters written up…**

Lungbarrow: In The Headlines

Jackie Tyler sighed, dropping the red top tabloid onto the coffee table in front of her. Of course, with Pete being the owner of Vitex and head of Torchwood, the journalists were very interested in the Tylers, but they often did well in avoiding them. Rose- as Vitex heiress, Torchwood agent and mysterious daughter of the Tylers- had been hounded by them when she'd first arrived in Pete's World, the tabloids delighted by her sudden appearance, latching onto the fact she was in her early twenties, single, and worked extremely hard at Torchwood. Like Jackie, Rose had learned to avoid the press, even more so when she and the Doctor had returned, and she- like Jackie- prided herself in keeping her five children out of the journalists' view. But now, it seemed that bliss had come to an end. Some journalist had caught wind of the Doctor giving up his job, a photographer had gotten photos of the Doctor out with the twins. The red tops had snatched up the story immediately, blasting it out of the water with ridiculous headlines. Grimacing, Jackie surveyed the selection of them that were currently scattered across the coffee table. Every time something like that popped up in the press, Donna had copies of any newspaper or magazine that published it sent to the Tyler Mansion for Jackie and Pete to check over; Pete had contacts, any stories that would perhaps endanger his family could be stopped with just a phone call. However, Jackie knew that this particular story in front of her was nothing more than speculation and gossip, fuelled by some idiotic 'inside source' revealing that the Doctor had resigned from his work at the 'prestigious Torchwood Institute'. Jackie knew that this was something her daughter and son-in-law needed to know about, and it was time that this silly feud was over. Taking a deep breath, Jackie reached for the phone.

**~StormWolf10~**

Rose sighed as she grabbed some of the toys strewn across the floor of their front room. It looked like a bomb had hit it, but Rose secretly decided that that was how houses looked when you had five kids. Leanne's hoodie was thrown over the back of one sofa, the girl's converse abandoned beside the wall; James' astronomy books were stacked untidily beside the TV unit, his dinosaur toys scattered beside it along with a football; a box of Noah's cars was pushed up against another wall; the twins' changing mats, nappies and wipes, cuddly toys, play mats and books scattered across the floor.

"I really don't see why Mum couldn't just tell us whatever it was on the phone." Rose groused bitterly as she attempted to make the room a little more presentable.

Part of her mind was telling her that her Mum wouldn't be bothered by the mess, that she'd had two children herself- granted, at completely different times, but still-, but another part of her mind wanted to prove to her parents, prove that the twins weren't a mistake, that they could cope with five kids and a cat who glared at the twins and avoided them whenever possible.

"It's obviously important, Rose." The Doctor responded, watching as Rose hurried around the room while he sat in the middle of the floor with the twins, who were happily playing.

Both twins were sitting up without support now, and had even begun rocking on their hands and knees. The Doctor and Rose figured it wouldn't be long before they were crawling, and then walking, and they dreaded to think what would happen when the twins could run as well as Noah and James.

"Maybe she wants to sort out this argument, put it all behind us." The Doctor continued calmly.

Rose snorted and carried on hurrying around the room. There was suddenly a knock on the door, and the Doctor jumped to his feet, heading to answer it. He returned barely a minute later with Jackie in tow.

"Hiya, love. Lea, James and Noah at school?" Jackie asked her daughter conversationally.

Rose blinked.

"Yeah." Rose replied after a few moments, giving up on tidying up and sitting on the floor beside the twins.

"Want a cup of tea, Jackie?" the Doctor asked, noting that Rose wasn't making any more effort to hold a conversation.

Jackie nodded, smiling in thanks and taking a seat on the sofa. The Doctor left for the kitchen, not that Rose noticed, as she was too distracted by the twins.

"So, this is Felix and Alexis, then?" Jackie asked quietly, a small smile on her face.

Again, Rose blinked, looking up at her Mum in confusion. And then she realised. The twins had been with them just over a month now, having turned six months old two days before. Her parents hadn't met their Grandchildren, Rose had been too busy being stubborn.

"Yeah." Rose replied, a little kinder this time "right little terrors at night. Just as we get one down, the other wakes."

"I can imagine." Jackie told her daughter with a small smile.

Jackie and Rose stared at each other awkwardly for a few minutes, the twins gurgling and grabbing at their feet and putting things in their mouths.

"Why are you here, Mum?" Rose asked eventually.

"Well, first off, to apologise, sweetheart." Jackie admitted somewhat bashfully.

Rose rolled her eyes.

"Look, if you and Dad want to apologise, then Dad should come and apologise himself." Rose told her Mum levelly "Now, if that's all, it's one of those rare days that the twins are actually being rather quiet instead of screaming every hour for food, or a nappy change or something, and I'd quite like to enjoy my day off with my husband if you don't mind."

"Rose," the Doctor chided as he re-entered the room with three mugs of tea, handing one to Jackie.

"What?" Rose groused "It's true. Once we pick the boys up from school and Lea gets home, we won't get any peace and quiet for the rest of the day!"

"There's no need to be rude." The Doctor told her quietly so that Jackie couldn't hear.

"We really _are_ sorry, sweetheart." Jackie chipped in worriedly, "And if you two ever need any money, your father and I are only happy to help. Your father said you didn't want to be on full-time work, and I know the part-time wage is less, so…"

"We don't need money." Rose announced coolly.

"We can cope perfectly fine on Rose's part-time wage, Jackie." The Doctor explained carefully to his Mother-in-law "We'd worked it all out before I resigned; we have more than enough money to pay all our bills, and a fair portion of our wages had been put away in savings before I gave up my job, so we can still go on holiday with the kids and stuff."

Jackie nodded, satisfied but upset.

"Well, that's the main reason I came here, actually." Jackie admitted "Your resignation."

"Jackie, it was something Rose and I discussed. I know, I know, it's usually custom for the mother to give up her job, but I couldn't ask that of Rose. Not after she spent so long building up her career, working her way up her ranks. We both enjoyed our work at Torchwood, but Rose enjoys it more. To me, it was just a way of getting paid really, I suppose… I suppose it wasn't really a career I'd have chosen had I thought about it more before accepting the job. I didn't realise while I was working there, but now I've left… I've realised that it wasn't me, not really."

Jackie blinked.

"Right." She replied slowly after a few moments "Well actually, I was going to say that the tabloids have caught on about your resignation."

**~StormWolf10~**

Rose frowned as she looked over all the red top tabloids now scattered across the floor of her front room.

"Is this all of them?" she asked her Mum as she bounced a kicking, struggling Alexis on her knee.

Jackie nodded, slightly distracted by Felix, who was sat on her lap.

"Yeah, well, they're all the ones Donna sent over, so I assume so." She replied.

"Well," the Doctor shrugged, although he looked a little worried "it's all lies, so it doesn't really matter, does it?"

Rose gave her husband a withering look.

"Something like this would just be the start, Doctor. They're already trying to hint that I'm trying to control you."

"Yeah, but we know it's not true. Our friends know it's not true." The Doctor responded.

"But the people who read this sort of thing _don't_ know that, do they Doctor?" Jackie pointed out gently.

The Doctor frowned and looked back at the tabloids on his floor. Various newspapers blared headlines such as 'Lungbarrow gives up prestigious Torchwood Institute job. Wife to blame?', 'Vitex heiress forces husband out of job- Saw him as competition, an inside source claims', 'Rose Tyler tells husband: 'I want more kids but you'll have to look after them'', 'Trouble in paradise? Vitex heiress forces husband to quit job' and 'Is Vitex heiress Rose Tyler using her adopted children to keep her husband in line?'. Every stark, blunt headline was accompanied by a photo; a couple of the red tops had gone for a photo of the Doctor out with the twins, some had gone with various photos of the Doctor and Rose together, one had gotten a photo of the Doctor while he'd been on a Field Mission, and one tabloid had even gotten hold of a photo of the Doctor and Rose with their five kids, seemingly taken the previous weekend.

"What do we do, then?" the Doctor sighed after a few moments in silence "About this?"

"I can speak to Pete," Jackie explained "He can have a word with the President, get a ban placed on the tabloids for printing this."

"But wouldn't that look suspicious?" Rose pointed out, part worried part annoyed "It'll look like I got you to do that to cover something up."

"We _could_ wait." The Doctor suggested "See if it all blows over. I'm sure they'll get bored eventually."

Rose, however, looked doubtful. This was the one thing she'd wanted to protect her children from. She couldn't help but feel like she'd failed.


	107. Summer Days

**A/N: New chapter :) In which Rose attempts to patch things up with her parents.**

Lungbarrow: Summer Days

"Ooh, the twins have grown a lot!"

Rose nodded, managing a weak smile at her Mum as Jackie lifted Alexis into her arms. It had been about two weeks since the tabloid fiasco, and it had seemingly all blown over; at the slightest sniff of a story about an A-list celebrity having an affair, the Doctor's and Rose's so-called broken marriage had been forgotten about. It had still been horrible, though, and Rose had dreaded the tabloids starting a story about how she was a little snobby rich girl who got her parents to buy her a house and her husband to look after their children. Pete had been clamping down on everyone at Torchwood, determined to find out who- if anyone at all- was the 'inside source' the red tops had hinted at, and the man was determined to make it up to his daughter and son-in-law. The twins were at six and a half months old, growing more alert every day, and Alexis stared at Jackie with wide blue eyes, unsure whether to cry or not. Pete was hovering nervously behind Jackie, unsure what to say or do.

"Hi, Dad." Rose greeted him quietly after a few awkward moments.

He gave a relieved smile, thankful that Rose was talking. He hadn't seen her except for the encounter at Leanne's play and a few awkward lift rides at Torchwood.

"Hi, Rose." He replied, before his eyes darted to Felix in her arms "This is my newest Grandson, then?"

Rose nodded.

"Yeah, Felix. Wanna hold him?"

Pete nodded, and Rose carefully passed the little boy to him. Felix blinked at the strange man, staring at him for a minute or so before scrunching his face up and beginning to wail.

"Oh. Ah, I don't think he likes me." Pete told his daughter awkwardly, quickly handing the little boy back, attempting to cover up his disappointment with a weak laugh "I guess I'll go help the Doctor in the back garden then."

And then Pete was gone, hurrying out the kitchen and into the garden where the Doctor was trying to put together several pieces of garden equipment he and Rose had bought for the kids. Jackie sighed as she watched her husband's retreating form.

"He really _is_ sorry, Rose." She told her daughter quietly.

"I know." Rose answered softly "I've known for a while. I just… It upset me, Mum. He shouldn't have said it."

"I know." Jackie sighed "Now, how about we go and see how that husband of yours is doing?"

Rose and Jackie made their way out into the garden, seeing that Pete was crouched beside the Doctor, looking over some instructions. As the summer holidays were just starting, the Doctor and Rose had bought a wooden play centre for the children. It was large, but due to the big garden, didn't dominate the space, despite the three wooden towers and swings it had. Most of it had already been put together by the Doctor, but there was still a bit to complete. Leanne was sat at the garden table, nose in a book while Noah, James and Tony chased each other around the garden. A slide and twelve foot trampoline had already been set up, but the kids seemed to be ignoring those, despite how much they cost.

"Have you tried reading the instructions?" Rose called over to her husband in amusement, watching as he grew more and more annoyed, even as Pete tried to help.

The Doctor blinked owlishly at his wife, before looking over at Pete.

"No, but Pete is."

"Wouldn't it be better if you'd read the instructions to start with?" Rose asked, making her way over, Felix still in her arms "Then Dad wouldn't have to read them for you."

The Doctor, however, continued screwing together what seemed to be random bits of wood.

**~StormWolf10~**

"Da-_ad_! Is it ready yet?"

The Doctor sighed in frustration, glancing over at Pete who smirked.

"Not yet, James." He replied, gritting his teeth.

"But it looks ready!" Noah chipped in, pouting.

"Well it's not." The Doctor replied shortly "Not unless you want it to collapse on you. I don't think your Mum would be too happy, though."

There was a pause, and the Doctor glanced up to see James, Noah and Tony muttering to each other. And then, Tony looked over at Pete.

"Dad," he asked, wide-eyed "are you _sure_ it's not ready yet?"

"Yes, Tony," Pete grinned as the Doctor chuckled "it won't be long though. And once it's set up, we'll get started on the barbeque."

The three boys didn't look very satisfied with the answer, and traipsed away. Leanne had taken to lying on the grass, intent on catching a tan, while Jackie and Rose sat talking as Felix and Alexis played in the grass. Noah dropped onto the grass below the twins, who both blinked and looked up at him before grinning.

"When's dinner?" Noah asked suddenly, turning to Rose.

"Soon." Rose responded, quickly stopping Alexis from putting a fistful of grass in her mouth "Once Daddy and Granddad have finished building the play centre."

"But it's taking _ages_!" Tony grumbled, sitting beside Jackie and pouting.

Jackie chuckled at that, ruffling her son's hair.

"I know, but it's almost finished now," Jackie told him "and while the Doctor and your Dad are sorting the barbeque out, you can play on it."

**~StormWolf10~**

Nearly an hour later, James, Tony and Noah were finally allowed on the play centre. Pete and the Doctor were at the barbeque, attempting to flip burgers while Smokey sat a little way away sniffing the air hopefully. Rose and Jackie had taken the twins inside for a nap, but not before an awkward conversation with Pete. Both Pete and Rose were trying their best to be nice to each other, but both knew it would take a little while for things to be back to normal between them.

"You can't force these things, sweetheart," Jackie told her daughter when they took the twins inside "just… Make sure to include your Dad, make sure he knows that you're forgiving him. He hasn't stopped beating himself up about it since you walked out."

And that was how, when they ventured back out into the garden a little while later, they came to be laughing and joking, watching as the boys alternated between eating their burgers and running off to play on the play centre, or trampoline, as Pete held Alexis on her lap and played with her while Jackie held Felix. Every time Pete looked up, Rose was smiling and laughing, and always making sure to include her Dad in the conversation, even suggesting that he fed Alexis himself as she looked so comfortable sat on his lap. Pete knew what his daughter was doing, of course, and he was so, _so_ grateful. Because he didn't want to be anywhere else, other than with his wife and children and grandchildren on these summer days.


	108. Stay at home Dad

**A/N: *Wanders in* New chapter! And I'm currently out of ideas, so, review and let me know what you'd perhaps like to see happen. More Ollie/Lea? More of Lea's illness as it heals? Let me know!**

**Disclaimer (because I haven't done one in a while): I just own the kids.**

Lungbarrow: Stay at home Dad

If anyone had told him five years ago that he, the Doctor, would actually be human due to a human Time Lord metacrisis, living with Rose Tyler in the parallel world, be calling himself Jonathan Theta Lungbarrow and being a stay at home Dad to his and Rose's five adopted children, he'd have been certain they were trying to trick him. Or that Jack had had too many hypervodkas again. And yet, the Doctor found himself in his and Rose's Edmonton home, desperately trying to work out how to entertain five children for the day. It was nearing the end of the summer holidays, and Rose had used what little holiday time she had for the first few weeks of the holiday, leaving the Doctor alone with the kids as the school term loomed. Luckily, Rose had taken the children for any school uniform they needed on one of her days off work, so that wasn't something the Doctor had to deal with. However, the Doctor was very much aware that the kids were getting restless being cooped up inside, and they'd exhausted all of the local entertainment facilities in the previous weeks; they'd been to the park five times, as well as the zoo, the aquarium and the swimming pool. Knowing the children would complain if he took them to any of those places again, the Doctor sighed, thinking hard.

"Dad!"

The Doctor blinked and looked up from where he'd been leant against the kitchen worktop waiting for the kettle to boil. James was in the doorway, smirking as Noah stood slightly behind him giggling.

"What is it?" the Doctor asked, frowning in confusion.

"Lea said she thinks Alexis needs her nappy changing. She smells funny." Noah piped up, still giggling.

The Doctor sighed, making his way for the front room. Lifting the little girl into his arms, he reached for the changing mat and nappy bag. Laying Alexis down, the Doctor ignored James and Noah as they wrinkled their noses up and giggled to themselves. Leanne was playing with Felix, trying to ignore how bad her little sister's nappy smelt, but both James and Noah seemed intent on pointing it out.

"It smells horrible!"

"Not as bad as _you_ smell, Noah!"

The bickering and giggling lasted the entire time the Doctor was changing Alexis' nappy. At least Alexis seemed oblivious to the stench in her nappy, as she continually tried to grab at the Doctor's hair.

"No, stop it, Alexis," the Doctor murmured as he began to slip a new nappy onto the girl.

Once that was done, the Doctor let out a sigh of relief, and set the little girl back under her play mat.

"Uh, Dad?" Leanne piped up, grimacing slightly as she held Felix at arms' length "I think Felix needs his nappy changing too."

"Ok," the Doctor sighed, reaching for the boy "hand him over."

As he was laying the boy on the changing mat, the Doctor suddenly became very aware of the fact that Noah and James were still stood in the middle of the sitting room.

"Why don't you two go and play football outside?" he suggested, reaching for another fresh nappy "If we do go out today, it won't be until the afternoon. If you hang on a minute, I'll get the pool out and fill that up for you too."

Noah and James grinned, nodding before running to their rooms to get their swimming stuff. The Doctor sighed, watching them go.

"I swear we won't have any bloody garden left at this rate," he muttered, causing Leanne to smirk "first the trampoline and play centre, then the sandpit, and now the pool."

"At least they're not being stuck indoors," Leanne pointed out to her Dad calmly.

The Doctor shrugged.

"I suppose so," he agreed.

Returning his attention to Felix, he undid the little boy's nappy and peeled it back just as Felix decided he wanted a wee. Ducking out of the way quickly to avoid the fountain of urine, the Doctor spluttered, grimacing. He could hear Leanne sniggering, and his head shot up to glare at the teenager. Still glaring, the Doctor quickly wiped his face with a wet wipe and cleaned Felix up before applying a new nappy.

"Not a word to anyone about this, ok?" the Doctor told Leanne after a few moments "Especially not your Mum!"

**~StormWolf10~**

"Sit down please, Noah." The Doctor told the boy for what felt like the umpteenth time.

Noah pouted, but slid back into his seat, his half-eaten roll still clutched in his hand. With a slight glare at the boy, the Doctor returned his attention to the twins. If he'd thought that meal times had been chaotic before, they were worse now. For months, he and Rose had taken it in turns to make Leanne's, James' and Noah's dinners before they fed the twins. While Rose was at work and the older three were at school, the Doctor fed the twins himself, and had started them on solid foods a few weeks before. Now, both twins were in highchairs, their fine-motor skills developing to the point that they could successfully throw the mushy baby food rather than get the food to their mouths. It was usually difficult enough to feed the twins on his own, the Doctor decided as yet more baby food flew past him, but it was even worse when James and Noah were there, trying to run off with half-eaten rolls to get back in the inflatable pool.

"But Dad!" Noah moaned, mouth still full of food "I've eaten most of it! An' we'll be in the garden, we won't get any on the floor!"

"That's not the point, Noah. And don't eat with your mouth full." The Doctor told the boy, grimacing as he wiped at Felix's mouth and attempted to slip another spoonful of food into the boy's mouth. The boy giggled, and pushed himself as far away from the spoon as possible. Leanne watched in amusement as the Doctor sighed and lowered the spoon, before trying again. During that time, Alexis had dug her own hand into her bowl, smearing the mess across the highchair tray.

"Want me to get a cloth?" Leanne asked, watching as James and Noah finally finished their lunch and scampered off to the garden.

The Doctor, however, shook his head and sighed again, dejected.

"No, there's no point. At least not until I've finally managed to get them to eat some of it."

**~StormWolf10~**

It took almost another half an hour, and in the end the twins ended up wearing most of their food. The boys were still playing in the pool, so the Doctor took the twins outside. Slathering them in sun cream, he made sure they didn't stray too far out of the shade as he sat them in the sandpit. Both twins were teething, and putting anything in their mouths, including the sand. Soon enough, the Doctor was sat in the sandpit with the twins, trying in vain to stop them from eating sand. Rose had bought the twins teething rings, but the twins had seemed more intent on throwing them and chewing on their toys. The rest of the afternoon went by in a flurry of sand, water, teething rings and nappy changes, as well as the odd tantrum from Noah when James dunked him in the pool. Soon, it was time to get dinner started, and the Doctor was grateful when Rose was home.

"Good day?" she asked with a grin, kissing the Doctor gently just before Noah barrelled into her legs.

Rose blinked when she saw that Noah was only dressed in his swimming trunks. When James appeared, also in swimming trunks, she put two and two together, and looked at her husband.

"Guessing you got the pool out today?" Rose grinned.

The Doctor smiled tiredly, nodding.

"Yeah, and the twins spent the day eating sand while Leanne tried to get a tan." The Doctor responded.

"You love it, though." Rose told her husband with a smirk, glancing at him as Noah dragged her past to the front room.

"Yeah." The Doctor murmured, watching Rose disappear into the front room "Yeah, I do."


	109. Psychiatric Visit

**A/N: Because a wonderful anon said they'd like to see Leanne healing a little more. A short chapter, but hopefully enjoyable.**

Lungbarrow: Psychiatric Visit

Leanne sat on the sofa, twiddling her thumbs. She always felt nervous about her visits to Doctor Lloyd, even though she'd been coming to the appointments for the better part of ten months. Although she stuck strictly to the meal plan and it was tailored to her specifically, Leanne always panicked when it was time to increase the amount of food she ate. On her last visit, Doctor Lloyd had said she was doing well, and her weight was almost back to normal, but Leanne still felt sick at the prospect of being weighed again.

"Hello, Lea!" Doctor Lloyd announced cheerily when he came into the room "And how are you today? Shall we start by weighing you?"

Swallowing, Lea forced a smile and nodded, slipping her shoes off and making her way to the scales. She stepped up onto them, staring straight ahead at the wall. She could hear Doctor Lloyd scribbling down the readings, and then he was smiling at her.

"Ok, good, go and sit down again and we'll have a chat."

Again, Leanne nodded, and crossed back to the sofa, slipping her shoes on. Part of her had wished that the Doctor had stayed with her; part of her wished she hadn't told him to go sit in the café with the twins. She was just thankful Noah and James were at school. And then suddenly, Doctor Lloyd was talking again, and she forced herself to pay attention.

"Now, Lea," Doctor Lloyd began calmly "you're still a little below weight, and you seemed to have lost a little weight since the last time I saw you. How's your meal plan going? Remember, any time you want to talk to me, or you feel it needs to be changed, you can call or email the office."

Leanne nodded, not meeting the kind young Doctor's eyes.

""Now, would you like to change the meal plan?"

Leanne shrugged.

"Lea?"

"I dunno," Lea shrugged again "it's going alright, I guess."

"But?" Doctor Lloyd prompted with a kind smile.

"But… It… It kinda makes me feel sick," Leanne admitted quietly "seeing all that food on my plate."

"You don't have to eat it all," Doctor Lloyd pointed out.

"I know," Leanne told him "and sometimes I don't. But, even the sight of it makes me… Makes me feel ill. Panicky."

At that, she shifted uncomfortably in her seat, clenching her fists as she recalled the horrid feeling she felt at nearly every mealtime.

"Ok," Doctor Lloyd nodded encouragingly, reaching for his A4 notepad and beginning to write out another meal plan "how about we reduce the food again. Not by much, and then we can work on building it back up again, yeah?"

He waited for Leanne to nod, and when she did, he continued.

"Because you're doing really well, Lea, you are. And you're almost back to the weight you were before. So we don't want to stop all the hard work now, but also we don't want to pressure you, ok?"

Again, Leanne nodded.

"Is there anything else you'd like to talk to me about? We've got time?" Doctor Lloyd added.

Leanne thought for a few moments, and shook her head.

"Nope," Leanne spoke, forcing another smile "I'm fine."

"Ok then," Doctor Lloyd said, handing the meal plan to Leanne with a smile "I'll see you in two weeks."

Nodding, Leanne headed for the door.


	110. The Telling of Old Adventures

**A/N: New chapter! I must admit, I felt very uneasy having this story so low down on my profile page- I've uploaded several oneshots and started 2 new stories recently, pushing this further down. I… It worried me actually, so this will push it up to the top again!**

Lungbarrow: The Telling of Old Adventures

"Da-_ad_? Can you tell us a ghost story?" James asked, wide-eyed.

The boys were camping in the back garden with the Doctor, while Rose stayed indoors with Lea and the twins. The Doctor hesitated before replying, thinking carefully.

"That alright with you, Noah?" the Doctor asked, glancing at the younger boy.

Noah looked a little scared at that, and glanced at his older brother before nodding a little reluctantly. Ever since he'd turned six ten days ago, he'd been trying to be more grown up, copying James and Tony even more. He'd always copied them, but now it seemed because he wanted to be like them, older, more mature, most likely because of the twins and how he liked helping the Doctor and Rose by fetching nappies or bottles or dummies for them.

"Well, it's not quite a ghost story, but have I ever told you about how Mummy and I met?" the Doctor asked calmly.

Both James and Noah shook their heads, wide-eyed.

"Well," the Doctor continued "shall I tell you? You know what Mummy does for a job, and what I used to, but I don't think we told you that. It was when we were travelling."

"In the TARDIS?" James asked, recalling the word from previous conversations.

The Doctor nodded. They'd told the children about a few of their calmer adventures, holiday resorts and swimming pools and such, nothing that would give them nightmares.

"Yeah, in the TARDIS." The Doctor told the boys with a smile "But I looked a lot different when I first met your Mum. I had short dark hair, and big ears, and I wore a leather jacket!"

Noah giggled at that, wrinkling his nose up.

"But that can't be right!" he told his Dad, still giggling.

"It is!" the Doctor told the boys "I changed my face!"

"You can't do that!" James laughed, before pausing and adding "Can you?"

"I could!" the Doctor replied.

"Wow! Can you show us?!" Noah asked, wide-eyed.

The Doctor's face momentarily clouded, before he shook his head.

"'Fraid not, buddy," he told the little boy, smiling slightly when Noah pouted "I gave all that up to be with your Mum. When I could change my face, I had two hearts. But now I've only got one. When you're older, we'll explain it properly to you."

"Are you upset that you can't change your face anymore?" James asked his Dad carefully.

The Doctor thought for a moment.

"It means I have to be a lot more careful now," he admitted, before grinning "but at the same time, I'm glad."

"Why?" Noah asked, perplexed "It'd be really cool to change your face! I wanna be able to change my face!"

The Doctor chuckled and reached to ruffle Noah's hair, smirking as the boy ducked from his grip, brow furrowing.

"Yeah, I suppose it's cool. But if I could still change my face, I wouldn't have five wonderful children, would I?" the Doctor told them.

"Why?" Noah asked again.

"That's not important right now," the Doctor replied, shaking his head "I'm just grateful for our wonderful little family. Now, do you want to hear this story or not?"

**~StormWolf10~**

"So then, in came your Mummy, swinging on a big rope, and knocked the Auton away from me. I, of course, dropped the anti-plastic into the Nestene Consciousness and killed it." The Doctor explained.

Noah and James were sat in front of him, mouth agape as they listened to the story.

"Then what?" Noah demanded eagerly.

"Then, after I took Mummy and Mickey back to safety, I asked Mummy to travel with me."

"And she said yes." James stated.

The Doctor, however, shook his head, causing the two boys to frown in confusion.

"No. She didn't."

"But… But Mummy travelled with you in the TARDIS!" Noah pointed out, confused.

"She did," the Doctor agreed "but not until after I asked twice. And it was with eight words that I managed to get her to agree to travel in the TARDIS with me. Eight words that saved my life."

"And they were..?" James prompted.

The Doctor grinned at the memory.

"'Did I mention it also travels in time?'"


	111. Mother-daughter Day

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long! I've been moving house… Anywho, on with the chapter.**

Lungbarrow: Mother-daughter day

"Mum," Leanne began, hovering in the doorway on Alexis' room awkwardly "I… I need your help."

Rose froze from where she was folding away some of Alexis' clothes in the chest of drawers, having a horrid flashback to when Leanne had admitted she was anorexic.

"Oh?" Rose asked eventually, glancing over at her daughter "What for?"

"It's... It's Ollie's birthday on October 1st, and me and him and Naomi and Christian are going out for the day, yeah? And, well… What do I get him for his birthday?"

Rose visibly relaxed, and she smiled at her eldest child, pushing the drawer shut and crossing to the girl.

"Well, what sort of thing does he like?" Rose asked, dropping an arm around Lea's shoulders as she led the girl down the corridor.

Leanne shrugged, leading her Mum into her room and crossing to sit on the bed.

"Acting and stuff. Music. Films." Leanne said uncertainly.

"Right," Rose sighed "and what are you two calling each other?"

Leanne blinked and frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," Rose sighed "you two have been going out a lot together recently, and ever since the play… Well, are you boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Again, Leanne blinked.

"I… We… I don't know." The teenager admitted after a few moments, shocked.

Rose fought the urge to roll her eyes and sat down on her daughter's bed.

"Ok then," she decided with a deep breath "how about me and you and Alexis go out tomorrow, just us girls? It's a Saturday, so I'm not at work, and your Dad can take the boys. I'll have to carry Alexis, but that won't be a bother."

**~StormWolf10~**

The next day, Leanne found herself in the middle of a shopping centre in central London, Rose following her down numerous aisles as the teenager searched for the perfect gift for her best friend slash sort-of-boyfriend. Alexis was babbling away to herself, little legs kicking in her dungarees.

"Lea," Rose told her daughter, managing to catch up with her before she disappeared down yet another aisle "you really need to decide what you're getting Ollie. Then I can help more."

"I'm… I'm looking for something… Unique." Leanne decided, already setting off again "Something special, something… _Ollie_."

"Yeah, because that helps." Rose muttered under her breath.

Alexis gurgled from her position on Rose's hip, and Rose looked down at the girl, sighing.

"What are we gonna do with your big sister, eh? I suppose I'm gonna have this all over again with you too."

Alexis blinked at her Mum before a grin spread across her chubby cheeks and she grabbed at Rose's hair. With another sigh, Rose hurried after Leanne, locating the girl several aisles down looking over a rack of DVDs.

"I thought you said you wanted something unique?" Rose reminded her daughter, readjusting Alexis on her hip as she spoke.

Leanne nodded distractedly as she looked at the DVD display.

"Yeah, but I haven't exactly found anything so far, have I?" Leanne replied with a shrug "Figured I might as well look at everything."

**~StormWolf10~**

Two hours later, Leanne was sat in the car, glaring out the window.

"Lea," Rose sighed as the car came to a stop at some traffic lights "I'm sure Ollie will love the DVDs you got him."

"Yeah, but there's nothing unique about them! They're just films he's wanted!" Leanne sulked bitterly.

"Lea, he'll be fine, he'll love them. Because you got them for you." Rose assured the girl gently, casting her a small smile before returning her attention to the road as the lights turned green.

Leanne looked unconvinced at that, but managed a small nod.

"Yeah, sure." She murmured.

Rose rolled her eyes at that. She'd been hoping for a nice day out with her two girls, but instead she'd gotten a stroppy teen and a wriggly baby for the day. She supposed she should have seen it coming, but she hadn't, and there was nothing she could do about it now. Rose glanced in the rear view mirror, seeing Alexis fast asleep in her car seat, obviously tired out from the day's shopping. With Leanne still glaring out the window and Alexis dozing in the back seat, Rose silently returned her gaze to the road.


	112. First 'Proper' Date

**A/N: Sorry this has taken so long. I'm also out of ideas for chapters, so any suggestions would be useful- what would you like to see happen?**

Lungbarrow: First 'proper' Date

"There," Rose announced with a smile, stepping back to admire her handiwork "how's that?"

Leanne stared hard at her reflection for a few moments, head cocked to one side as she took in her appearance. She was wearing her usual makeup, but her hair was gently curled and pinned up. She looked… Girly. And for once, Leanne realised she didn't mind 'girly'. It was alright, once in a while. In fact, she decided, it felt nice to dress up. Rose had taken her out to buy her a brand new dress for the occasion too, a knee-length, strapless midnight blue affair, topped off with silver sandals and a silver clutch bag she'd borrowed from Rose. Slowly, a grin spread across Leanne's face, and she nodded at her Mum, whose shoulders slumped in relief.

"Yeah." Leanne piped up, still grinning and gazing at her reflection. "I love it."

It was the beginning of November, just over a month after Ollie's birthday, and the boy had finally plucked up the courage to ask Leanne out on a proper date. The fifteen year old boy had even gone all-out to impress, booking a table at a fairly posh restaurant. Rose and the Doctor had been slightly shocked at that, expecting Leanne to tell them she and Ollie were going to the cinema or something, but young Oliver seemed determined to make the date count. Rose grinned, tugging Leanne in for a hug and sighing happily.

"You're not my little girl anymore, are you?" Rose murmured into her daughter's shoulder.

She heard Leanne hum in agreement, and reluctantly ended the hug.

"Now," Rose spoke again, louder this time "let's get you downstairs. Ollie will be here soon to pick you up."

However, as Rose made to begin walking to the door, Leanne grabbed her hand, wide-eyed.

"Mum," Leanne began nervously, "what do I have to do tonight?"

"Do?" Rose echoed, brow furrowing in confusion.

Leanne nodded, swallowing.

"You know, there's, like, rules isn't there?" Leanne asked, refusing to meet Rose's gaze. "Like, don't kiss on a first date, that sort of thing?"

Rose blinked, silently hoping her daughter meant some of the rules really shouldn't apply to a fourteen year old. Then, taking a deep breath, she led Lea by the hand over to the bed, sitting her down.

"How about I give you a quick run-down, yeah?" Rose suggested gently.

Leanne nodded quickly.

**~StormWolf10~**

Ollie sat awkwardly on the sofa, giving Noah a tight-lipped smile as the little boy giggled at him.

"Why you dressed like that?" Noah asked jabbing a finger at Ollie's charcoal suit.

Ollie glanced down, brushing imaginary dirt from his jacket.

"I'm taking Lea out for a meal." He told the six year old.

"Lea doesn't eat whole meals though." Noah continued conversationally, sitting himself beside the teenager. "Hasn't done since she got ill."

"She's getting better, though." Ollie told the boy.

"She doesn't like pork." James chipped in with a small smile at Ollie.

"I know." The teenager nodded, flashing the boy a thankful smile.

Just then, someone cleared their throat, and Ollie jumped, turning to look to the sitting room doorway. The Doctor was stood there, Felix on one hip. Both the twins were nine and a half months old, crawling around and putting anything they could get their hands on into their mouths.

"Boys," the Doctor told Noah and James suddenly, "can you keep an eye on the twins for a few minutes? I need to have a word with Ollie in the dining room."

Ollie visibly swallowed, getting to his feet as James took Felix from his Dad. Silently, Ollie then followed the Doctor out of the room and into the dining room. His ginger hair had been tamed, combed carefully, and Ollie fought the urge to tug at it nervously. Once in the dining room, the Doctor shut the door behind them.

"Now, Oliver," the Doctor began, voice calm and face passive, "I need to lay down a few ground rules for tonight."

Ollie blinked, swallowed and nodded.

"Yes, sir." Ollie replied quietly, unsure of any better response.

"First of all, you are aware that Leanne is on a food plan, yes?" the Doctor asked, his blank mask cracking for just a moment, just briefly as Ollie saw concern flash through the man's eyes.

Ollie nodded, clearing his throat.

"Yeah, I've already taken that into account." Ollie replied calmly.

"Good," the Doctor responded, nodding. "Now, I expect Leanne home by ten tonight, and I do not want to hear that you've been trying to push her to do anything she'd be uncomfortable with. Am I clear?"

Ollie blinked, confused.

"Uh, Jonathan, my Dad's driving us to the restaurant and back again." He pointed out in confusion.

"Am I clear?" the Doctor repeated again, teeth gritted as he ignored Ollie's previous comment.

The boy nodded quickly. He was slightly scared; he'd never seen the Doctor so protective of Lea before. Before anything else could be said, however, the dining room door opened to reveal a very confused Rose, with Leanne hovering just behind her.

"Doctor?" Rose asked her husband, eyebrow raised. "What's going on?"

"Just talking to Oliver," The Doctor replied calmly.

Rose looked unimpressed, but didn't say anything.

"Well, anyway," Rose continued, opening the door fully, "Lea's ready to go if you're ready, Ollie."

Ollie nodded, glancing briefly at the Doctor before crossing to the door. It was then that Ollie saw Leanne properly for the first time.

"You… You look gorgeous." He told her shyly, blushing when he realised that Rose and the Doctor were right behind him.

Leanne smiled shyly, ducking her head.

"You don't look too bad yourself," she told him with a small grin.

"My, uh, my Dad's waiting outside in the car," Ollie explained nervously, gesturing towards the front door, "if you're ready to go."

Leanne glanced to her Mum for reassurance, and Rose nodded with a small smile. Leanne then nodded at Ollie, and a moment later, Rose and the Doctor were at the door, seeing the two teenagers off. The fact Ollie opened Lea's car door for her didn't go unnoticed by neither the Doctor nor Rose. And then, the car was gone.

**~StormWolf10~**

When they reached the restaurant, Ollie's father told them to ring them when they were ready to head home and he'd come and pick them up. Nodding, the two teenagers made their way into the restaurant. Leanne swallowed as she realised that they were the youngest people in there; it looked fairly posh and, although she'd already known that, it still surprised her.

"I have a reservation for two," Ollie announced to a waiter, "under the name of Thomas."

To Leanne's surprise, the waiter didn't question their age, and merely picked up two menus.

"Right this way, sir." The waiter told them, beginning to lead them to a small table by a window.

Soon they were seated at the table, and the waiter filled their wine glasses with water before leaving them to look over the menus, although Ollie seemed to be mustering up the courage to say something to her. Leanne bit her lip nervously as she stared at the menu; all the meals sounded so big, and were so expensive, and she hated to think that she'd waste it. Evidently sensing Leanne's worry, Ollie gently tugged the menu from in front of her face and smiled nervously.

"I know you're worrying about the price," He told her softly. "And I know you're worrying that you won't eat it all. I'd already had a look at the menu before we came here, and I thought that, instead, we could just order a couple of starters?"

Leanne relaxed immediately, nodding.

"Yeah," she told him with a small smile, "yeah, that would be good."

Ollie smiled in relief, and a few minutes later they were ready to order.

"And could we have two plates?" Ollie asked the waiter once they'd ordered.

The waiter gave them an odd look, but nodded and left to give their orders to the kitchen, leaving Ollie and Leanne alone. They sat in an awkward silence, both racking their brains for something interesting they could discuss.

"So, uh, did you do the maths homework?" Ollie asked suddenly.

Leanne wrinkled her nose.

"Yeah, but only after Dad helped," she replied. "I didn't understand half of it."

Ollie nodded, and they lapsed back into silence, Ollie silently cursing himself for asking about maths homework of all things.

"Naomi and Christian went and saw that new zombie movie the other day," Leanne said suddenly, "they said it was quite good."

"The one with that Welsh guy in it?" Ollie asked, brow furrowed.

Leanne nodded.

"Yeah, him and that blonde girl, the one from the sitcom. Oh, what's it called?" Leanne asked, brow furrowed as she desperately tried to remember the name of the show she meant.

"Oh, I know what you mean! Can't remember the name though…" Ollie mused, racking his brain.

They continued chatting and laughing for quite a while more, running through sitcom names, and getting sidetracked as they talked about their favourite scenes and lines, before finally their starters arrived. The starters were set out in the middle of the table, along with two empty plates so that they could mix and match the food.

"It feels wrong," Leanne murmured as the waiter walked away, "like we're having a buffet in a posh restaurant!"

"Well we are, sort of," Ollie shrugged with a smile. "Besides, we're paying, so they can't complain."

"S'ppose so." Leanne responded quietly. "Are you sure you're alright paying for all this?"

Ollie looked up, startled.

"Of course I am! Been saving up weeks!" he told her proudly. "Wouldn't do to ask the girl to pay!"

Leanne blushed, giving Ollie another shy smile. Ollie grinned back and began tucking into his food.

**~StormWolf10~**

"I had a really great night," Leanne told Ollie shyly as they stood on her doorstep.

"Good," Ollie replied. "I'm glad. I enjoyed tonight too."

There was a pause, and Ollie slipped his hands into his trouser pockets, just standing there.

"So," Leanne prompted cautiously after a few moments, "does that mean we could do this again?"

Ollie smiled.

"Yeah," Ollie responded happily. "Yeah, that would be good."

Movement could be heard on the other side of the front door, and both teenagers turned to look at it, before meeting at each other's eyes again.

"Well, I'd better get going now," Ollie told her, voice soft.

"Ok," Leanne nodded.

Neither of them moved, both a little scared. They'd both been told what to do and what to avoid doing, Leanne by her Mum and Ollie by his Dad. But even despite this help, they seemed stuck, unsure what to do. And then, slowly- painfully slowly- Ollie moved forward, eyes closed. Leanne's breath hitched, her body stiffening. A moment later, Ollie kissed her on the cheek. He pulled away quickly, and Leanne looked up at him shyly. Ollie looked uncertain, green eyes showing his fear that he'd just ruined everything. So Leanne gave him a small smile.

"See you Monday, yeah?" she asked softly.

"Yeah," Ollie agreed quietly.

And then he was walking away, down the gravel path to his Dad's car. Leanne waved him off, and just as she turned back to the door, she saw Rose and the Doctor stood there, the door wide open.

"Good night?" Rose asked, ushering the girl inside.

Leanne grinned.

"Good night," she agreed happily.


End file.
